Just Stay by My Side
by blairstory
Summary: Loner. Violent Video games. Loser. That was Jay in high school. But now he's rich, successful and when he sees the resume of Erin Lindsay, one of his tormentors in school and the girl who had broken his heart, applying to be his personal assistant, Jay also has the perfect plan for revenge. Linstead AU
1. Part I

Part I

"This is exciting, wouldn't you say Jay?"

Jay gave his best charming smile to the interviewer, eyes sparkling. "It is. Chicago Annual Tech Summit is always my favorite event of the year and I am just so amazed that JH Tech gets to be the headliner again this year."

"You are the premiere and leading tech company for five years running. And each year, you've managed to come up with more and more innovative ideas and ventures. And of course, this year is no exception. Would you like to tell us a little bit more about your latest venture?"

"I'd be honored to," Jay replied, adjusting his glasses before returning his full attention to the interview and the cameras around him. "At JH Tech, we've always pride ourselves with being the leader in innovative and cutting edge technological advances. In the past, we've primarily focused our attention on the gaming sector and I don't know, I think we've been pretty successful at that, wouldn't you say Lisa?" Jay smirked, flirting with the interviewer.

"I'd say," Lisa replied, blushing under Jay's attention. "I mean you've only been the creator of the best selling games every year. Not to mention, you've completely covered the market on gaming devices."

Jay chuckled. "Thank you. As a gamer myself, it's like having all my teenage dreams come true. I mean I can't tell you the countless hours I've spent in my room just playing video games in middle and high school."

"Oh, I can't see that," Lisa interrupted, caressing Jay's arm flirtatiously. "I'm sure you were too busy being out with girls when you were in high school. I mean, look at you. You must've been the most popular guy in school."

The grin on Jay's face faltered for a second before he quickly recovered, that charming smile that drove women crazy pasted back on. "Oh, you'd be wrong there Lisa. But all that time spent playing games has just naturally led me to form JH Tech with my best friend. You know Greg?" Jay pointed at Mouse who was standing off-camera and looked like a deer caught in the headlight when the camera quickly panned over to him. "Say hi Mouse." Mouse waved, looking every bit as uncomfortable. "Yeah, he's the best." Jay said as the camera returned back to him.

"Cute too," Lisa commented.

"Very," Jay agreed, chuckling. "And we've decided that it has been long past due for real advancements to be made in Virtual Reality when it comes to gaming. Think about this Lisa. You've ever watch Yu-gi-oh as a child?" Lisa nodded. "It's the best right? I've always dreamt of having that technology where monsters come to life and the players get to duel for real. Imagine how awesome is that? Well, we're working hard to make that a reality. A _virtual reality._" Jay laughed at his own pun.

"That sounds amazing. I know my nephew would love something like that. But I know that's not the only new venture you have your eyes on right?"

Jay laced his fingers together, his glasses glinting as the light bounced off from it. "We're also venturing into the sports world. I think with the heavy focus on analytics in the popular sports like NBA and NFL, we have an untapped market. We're really excited about that too."

Lisa sighed. "Everything sounds amazing. You are truly a wonder Jay Halsted. You're in your 30s and you're already mega successful. Not to mention, look at you. You're truly every woman's dream man. How are you still single?"

Jay bit his lips, dropping his gaze down to his lap feign shyness. "I don't know," he shrugged, bringing his blue eyes back to the camera. "I guess I just haven't met the one yet."

* * *

"I swear I heard every woman in the country swoon," Mouse teased as the two best friends walked out of the studio. "Seriously man, where did you pick up your game from because I need to learn a thing or two from you."

Jay rolled his eyes, too busy looking at his phone. "Trust me Mouse, all you need is money, power and a few cliches memorized and women are just easy."

Mouse scoffed. "Yeah? That wasn't the case for us in High School." He sighed, flashing back to their high school days. "Man, you remember what losers we were back then? We didn't have any other friends and girls avoided us like we had the plague. Look at you now though. Women are practically throwing themselves at you whenever you go."

"I don't want to talk about high school," Jay stated, a bit harshly. "And besides, all these women are shallow as fuck." He paused and turned to Mouse. "You want some advice Mouse? Don't fall for any of them. Use them, have fun with them sure but don't make the mistake of taking any of them seriously."

Mouse rolled his eyes. "Yeah yeah Mr. Casanova. I'll take that advice to heart."

"I'm serious," Jay retorted. "They didn't want us when we were losers did they? But now that we're rich and successful, they're suddenly interested. That's called a user in my book." Mouse didn't bother replying, knowing that Jay was set in his ways. His friend, as much as Mouse loved him, had certainly changed from the scrawny 12 years old that he was when they first met. Back then Jay was more trusting, open, and saw the world with rose colored glasses. But growing up being bullied, teased and picked on by the 'popular crowd' and ostracized for being smart and different had changed Jay. Plus there was that incident in Jay's senior year.

So now as Jay's height grew and he grew into his own body, his walls also grew and he became more guarded and had a more cold-hearted view of the world, especially women. Sure, he dated them— a bunch of them actually— but he never took them seriously. At least not more than as arm candy for whatever event he was attending. That was why he had a revolving door of models, actresses, instagram influencers that he recycled through— all hoping and thinking that they'd be the one to change and tame the Jay Halstead.

"Mr. Halstead," Millicent, Jay's personal assistant, greeted him meekly, barely able to make eye contact with him. Jay kept a stern face, in contrast to the soft smile Mouse gave the poor girl, who seemed terrified of her boss. "Um, here's your schedule for the rest of the day," she said, handing him a paper.

Jay arched his brows, not taking the paper that was held out. "I'm a CEO of a multi-billionaire tech company and you're using paper to give me my schedule?" Jay asked, his voice flat yet had an underlying sinister tone to it. "Are you kidding me right now?"

Millicent quickly withdrew the paper, tucking it back inside her folder. "I'm sorry, Mr. Halstead. But it's only my second week and I haven't quite gotten used to all the devices that I'm supposed to be using."

Jay crossed his arms, shaking his head. "If it takes you more than two weeks to learn to use simple devices like an iPad when a five year old could learn in a day, you're in the wrong business Melanie."

"Millicent," the girl corrected, Jay just quirking his brow in return. "Sorry."

"Well _Millicent_," Jay sneered. "I think it's time for you to clean out your locker because you're fired." Millicent squeaked, shocked. Jay just shook his head and entered the car, slamming the door and the driver driving off.

Mouse gave the girl a sympathetic smile. "I'm sorry about that." Millicent couldn't reply, too in shock that she was just fired on the spot. "But it really takes you more than two week to learn how to use an iPad?" Mouse asked, incredulously. He took pity on the girl, who looked like she just got out of college and just got fired from her first job. He sighed, pulling out a business card from his wallet. "Here, call this number. She's a friend of mine and I know she's looking for a new assistant. Tell her Mouse sent you." Millicent took the business card, giving Mouse a grateful smile.

Mouse walked over to his chauffeured car, stopping before he was about to enter. "Oh Millicent, learn to use an iPad before you give that number a call." he teased before he closed the door, returning to JH Tech.

* * *

"Another one bites the dust," Trudy muttered under her breath when she saw Jay and Mouse return to the office without the mousy looking girl following. She shook her head, knowing that she was in for a berating from her boss about not being able to meet his high standard in finding the right personal assistant.

"Trudy!" Jay called, hands on his hips as he stood in the doorway of the Human Resources department. "My office," he ordered before walking away.

"Right." Trudy turned to the doe-eyed girl that was startled by the angry stance of their boss. "Burgess," Trudy called, snapping the girl's attention back to place. "Make yourself useful and handle things around here while I go get my head cut off by the Devil Prince would you?"

"Yeah," Kim agreed, sending her supervisor a smile. "Good luck Ms. Platt."

Trudy groaned, "I told you Ms. Platt is my gold digging mother after she cleaned out my philandering father's bank accounts. Just call me Trudy." She sighed. "Or at the least make sure my headstone only says Trudy if I don't come back from this." Kim giggled, more than happy that she wasn't in Trudy's place and had to face Mr. Halstead's wrath.

Trudy knocked on the office door before entering, finding Jay standing by the floor to ceiling window with his hands cocked on his hips, his back to her. "Jay."

Jay turned, coming face to face with one of the very few employees that was allowed to call him Jay. "Trudy."

"What happened to Millicent or Melody or whatever?" Trudy asked, taking a seat even though Jay was still standing up. "That's like the fifth P.A I've hired this month. What was wrong this time?"

"What wasn't," Jay snapped. "She didn't know the first thing about being a personal assistant, didn't know how to use basic devices and I swear to god, she was the dumbest person on earth," Jay complained, rolling his head back. "Mouse had to hold her hands for everything."

"I'm sorry," Trudy offered.

"Just where are you finding these airheads from?"

"From the applicant pool." Trudy replied.

Jay sneered. "And she was the best candidate? How is that even possible?"

Trudy gave Jay a look. "Are you even aware of your reputation? Sure, you might be the most eligible bachelor in Chicago or whatever nauseating title you've won this month but as a boss, you have a reputation of being…._demanding_," Trudy explained. "Half of the employment agencies in Chicago quiver in fear when they see the opening for the P.A position. And the ones that do make it through, when they come in for face to face interview with yours truly, they're more occupied with meeting you and working _under_ you than the actual job. And what was it that you ordered me to do?" Trudy asked. "Oh that's right. Don't hire a fangirl."

Jay scoffed, shaking his head.

"So really," Trudy continued. "My options are limited." Trudy leaned in closer, elbows on the table. "Was she really that bad?"

"She didn't know how to use an iPad and printed my schedule out on a _paper," _Jay replied, shuddering. "She needed to go."

"Alright fair enough, I guess. So should I send out another search?"

Jay sighed. "I guess. Double the pay so the agencies would get more candidates." He pointed his finger on his desk. "But this time, I'm choosing the assistant. Just send me the files of all the new applicants and I'll decide for myself." Trudy nodded, agreeing.

"You got it boss."

* * *

_Knock Knock Knock_

Erin groaned, stumbling with half of her eyes closed to the front door, cursing whoever it was that was knocking on her door at 2 in the morning. She didn't bother checking to see who it was before flicking the door open.

"Oh thank god Erin! Finally!" Erin was pushed back inside her door, her mother grabbing her shoulder.

"Mom?" Erin asked groggily. "What are you doing here?"

"I need your help baby," Bunny replied in the sickeningly sweet tone of hers. One that she always used whenever she needed something.

Erin groaned, knowing whatever Bunny wanted, it wasn't good. "What now mom?" Erin asked, "What have you gotten yourself into?"

"Honey," Bunny whined, almost pouting. "I haven't gotten myself into anything. I swear, trouble just finds me. I'm just trying to get my life back on tracks and every time, I get taken advantage of. It's probably my shit luck or because I'm just such a generous and trusting person…"

"Mom!" Erin shouted, cutting Bunny's ramblings short. " . ?"

"I need money." Erin groaned, already used to her mother always asking for a handout. "Please baby."

"Why?"

"You know Jimmy right?" Bunny began, ready with the sob story. "He was our neighbor back in that apartment we lived in? Well, I ran into him three months ago in rehab and he promised to help me get back on my feet when I got out. Only he forgot to mention that I needed to pay him back."

Erin rolled her eyes. "So you seriously thought that he'd just give you money with no strings attached, for free?"

"Well, we were friends!" Bunny claimed. "I thought friends helped each other. How was I supposed to kn.."

"Alright mom!" Erin shouted. "How much?"

"$50,000," Bunny muttered quietly.

"What?"

"$50,000," Bunny repeated, more clear this time. Erin's eyes widened, finally feeling awake, all semblance of sleep gone now.

"$50,000?!" Erin asked, shocked. "And what? You think I have that much money just lying around?"

"Baby," Bunny whined, holding Erin's arms. "I need the money. Otherwise, Jimmy has some _friends_ that are willing to collect on his behalf."

Erin scoffed. "Mom, I don't have that much money. Even if I did, I've bailed you out so many times before. I'm not doing it."

"So you wouldn't mind seeing your mom getting her kneecap broken?" Bunny asked, accusing. "Or seeing your mom get hurt by those awful men?"

"What do you want me to do here mom?" Erin retorted, crossing her arms. "I don't have that much money. I can't pay Jimmy off."

"He's willing to talk things out, come up with some monthly arrangement. Please baby, just help your mama out. Talk to him, agree to his terms. Please? You know it's just the two of us in this world. We can only rely on each other, no one else." Erin sighed, knowing that her mom would just say whatever it took to get what she wanted. The only problem was that she was right. Her mom was the only family member Erin had in the world and despite not wanting to, she knew she just wouldn't be able to leave her mother out in the cold.

"Fine," Erin gave in. "Where can I talk to this Jimmy?" Bunny squealed in happiness, hugging Erin.

"He agreed to meet at Liberty Diner at 7 in the morning. He's giving us a last chance here Erin. Don't blow it." With that Bunny left, Erin flabbergasted at Bunny. She grunted in frustration, knowing that she just got played by her mother again and got roped into her mess….once again.

* * *

"_Remember, you have six months to pay the whole debt." Jimmy sneered, "Or we come after both you and your mother!" _

Erin tugged on her hair, dropping her head on the table. Just how was she supposed to come up with that much money in such short time? She worked retailed, for god's sakes and was barely making ends meet herself. Now she had her mom's debt on top?

She checked her bank account, looking at the few thousand dollars that she had managed to save. But that wasn't nearly enough. Her job wasn't enough either. She needed a new one… a better paying one if she had any hopes of paying off her debt.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Erin snapped her head back up when the lady at the employment agency entered her office. "It's just been a busy day around here."

"No problem," Erin replied as the woman took her seat at her desk.

"So Erin Lindsay," the agent said, looking at the file. "Let's see. Most of your work experiences are in retail?" Erin nodded. "Hmm, you're looking for….what kind of position?"

"Any position really," Erin replied. "One that pays better than what I'm getting right now. I've come into some unexpected emergency and need money. It's really urgent."

The agent looked at Erin, giving her a sympathetic smile. "We've all been there." She looked back at her computer, browsing through all the potential matches for jobs that would fit Erin's need. Her eyes narrowed when she saw a new open position, debating with herself if she should tell Erin about it. "Ummm, just how dire is your situation really?"

Erin bit her lips. "A matter of life and death."

The agent nodded, taking a deep breath. "Okay, there is a position. A personal assistant."

"Okay…" Erin said.

"The position is very highly paid. $5,000 a month." Erin's eyes widened at the figure.

"5k for a P.A position?" Erin uttered out, unable to believe the pay. "Wait, what's wrong with the job?"

The agent sucked in her tongue. "The boss….he can be a bit demanding. It sounds great on paper but we've had our clients quit often, unable to handle the job. Then of course, they'd come here and complain to us, saying how could we do that to them? That's probably why the pay increased."

"Well I can handle it," Erin said, determined. Besides, how bad could it be? She was actually interested in getting in the corporate world so starting at an entry level position like a personal assistant sounded good to Erin. Not to mention, the pay. That $5000 was double what she was getting now. That meant that she could use the extra money as payment for her mom's debt. Really, it sounded like a dream come true to Erin.

The agent still looked apprehensive about filling the position.

"Trust me," Erin said to the agent. "I can do the job. I want to apply for it."

* * *

Jay scrolled through the files that Trudy had sent over, the number of applicants that applied for his P.A more than he was expecting. He had to admit, some of them even sounded impressive. Most of them were recent college graduates, a couple of them were even from prestigious Ivy League colleges. But everyone had to start out somewhere, even super smart and highly educated people.

"What are you doing?" Mouse asked as he joined Jay at his desk, looking at Jay's monitor. "Ah, new P.A?" Jay nodded, still scrolling through. "Any good options yet?"

"A few," Jay replied, occupied with the search. "What sounds better? A girl that just graduated from Harvard with a 3.8 GPA or a girl that used to work for a CEO of Fortune 500 company?"

"Um, sounds like you can't go wrong with either." Jay let out a snort, directing his attention back. The rest of the applicants were a blur, Jay dwindling his choices down to two until he came across the last applicant, Jay's heart coming to a stop when he saw the name and the passport sized picture that was attached to the application.

_Erin Lindsay. _

Jay scanned the application, looking at her qualifications and past experiences and finding them lacking. But still, as he looked back at the familiar face in the picture looking back at him, he couldn't move.

Those eyes. Those dimples. That smile.

They used to be permanent fixtures in his dreams once. The familiar features were all he dreamt about and suddenly he was flashing back to the days he worked so hard to forget. Days he thought he had left behind completely.

Days where he was pushed and shoved and teased by bullies, days where he was ignored by other kids as he sat in class alone, no one to talk to, days where Mouse was his only friend, days where he could only watch Erin Lindsay as she and her crew of popular friends glided across their high school campus with all the confident and grace that Jay himself was lacking.

* * *

"_Eww what is that smell?" Stephanie sniffed the air around her, wrinkling her nose. Her friends— or more like her minions— follow her action, looking around the room. Stephanie's eyes landed on the two boys sitting together at the lunch table, their heads buried in the latest issue of Captain America. "Oh right," Stephanie said loud enough for the other kids around them to hear. "It's those two losers." _

_Giggles and small laughters echoed around them. Jay finally looking up from his comic book and realizing what was going on._

"_Hey," Stephanie called out, getting both of their attention. "Try taking a shower sometime, would you? Your stench is seriously ruining our appetite." _

_Landon guffawed loudly, mouth wide open displaying the half chewed food inside. "Yeah," he shouted, agreeing with Stephanie. "Just because you guys can't get girls doesn't mean you still can't take showers." He laughed like he found his own joke hilarious and he brought his arms around his girlfriend, Erin who rolled her eyes, brushing his arm off. "Or at least go eat somewhere where the rest of us don't have to look at you or smell you." _

_Jay clenched his fists and got up from his seat, unable to control his anger. If he needed to punch Landon Vanick's smug face, then he would do so. "Come over and fight me!" Jay started, ready for a fight. But Mouse held his shoulders down, stopping his friend from getting into another fight._

"_Come on man," Mouse said softly. "Let's just go!" He pulled Jay out of the cafeteria, leaving the crowd of kids laughing at them._

_Mouse managed to pull Jay into the hallway, far away from the kids that tormented them. _

"_Fuck!" Jay shouted, punching his locker in anger. Mouse saw Jay's knuckles immediately turned red and split after the outburst of anger. "I fucking hate them!"_

"_Yeah, me too," Mouse agreed, patting Jay's shoulders comfortingly. "But let it go man."_

"_I can't let it go!" Jay argued, face still red from anger. "That's what make those fuckers think they can just bully us."_

"_Well, you can't get in another fight!" Mouse reminded Jay. "What would your parents say?" _

"_I don't give a fuck about my dad!"_

"_Okay but what about your mom then?" Mouse knew Jay would give in then. "Come on, just let it go. Just a few more months in this hellhole and we'll be out. We'll graduate, go to MIT and we'll create the most awesome video games. Remember?"_

_Jay rolled his eyes, nodding. "Yeah," he said, giving in. He needed the reminder that high school wouldn't last forever. Just a few more months of their senior year and they would be free, far away from the idiotic assholes at their schools. Most kids were fine, he guessed. They just ignored Jay and Mouse like they didn't exist, but for some reason the popular crowd— Stephanie and Landon and their flock of mindless sheeps— had far too much fun picking on them. It probably didn't help that Jay had a hard time controlling his anger, giving them what they wanted— a reaction. But he'd be damned if he was just going to just sit there and take whatever bullshit they threw at him. _

_He winced, shaking his hand in pain. The knuckles were split and there was a little bit of blood coming out of the skin. "Fuck!" _

_Mouse chuckled. "Told you you need to learn to control your anger." _

_Jay was about to retort but the closing of the locker behind them caught their attention, Jay's eyes growing in size when he saw who it was. He felt his throat dried when he saw Erin Lindsay approach them. _

"_Here," she said, her raspy voice making Jay's heart race faster. He looked down and saw her holding out a bandage. "For your hand," she clarified, probably because Jay was just standing still, looking at her like an idiot. Mouse finally nudged him and Jay snapped out of his thought— and that Erin Lindsay was actually talking to him— and he reached over to grab the bandage from her hand. _

"_Thank you," he said, doing his best not to sound nervous. _

_She smiled, her dimples that Jay was mesmerized by showing. She glanced around the hall quickly, like she was checking to see if they were alone. "I'm sorry about earlier. Landon…he can be an idiot," she shrugged, rolling her eyes. "Are you okay?" _

_Jay nodded, unable to say much else. Erin gave them another smile and walked away, leaving Jay to stare after her. _

"_Dude!" Mouse elbowed his sides, giddiness on his face. "Erin Lindsay just talked to you!" Mouse teased his friend, knowing just how big of a crush Jay had on the girl. He couldn't believe that Jay was actually blushing._

_Jay grinned, the corner of his eyes crinkling. "I told you she was different from the rest." That was Jay's answer when Mouse first found out that his friend liked someone that was part of the popular crowd but Jay was certain that Erin was different— not mean or cruel like the rest of them. Perhaps Jay was right, after all Mouse never really saw Erin directly picking on anyone. Sure, she was dating the most obnoxious and coincidentally the most popular guy in school, Landon Vanick but from what Mouse had seen, she seemed more annoyed by him than anything. _

"_Yeah, you may be right about that," Mouse agreed but his friend was too busy paying attention to his crush._

_But Jay wasn't right. If anything, she was far more cruel than everyone else. _

* * *

Jay's mind was occupied with the memories of the past as he walked down the large hallway to the H.R department, stopping at the entrance when he heard Trudy's voice on the phone.

"I can't believe Stafford staffing only sent one girl this time," Trudy spoke into the phone. Jay heard the person on the other side laughing over the speakerphone.

"It's a miracle that I even got one for you Trudy," he heard an unfamiliar woman's voice say. "I even tried to warn the poor girl that the job and the boos was demanding but she said she needed the money desperately and was determined." Jay recalled seeing that Erin was the one applicant that was sent by Stafford Staffing. She needed money?

"Oh shit, I got to go!" Trudy immediately hung up the phone when she saw Jay. "Jay."

Jay entered the department, stopping in front of Trudy's desk. "I made my choice with the P.A. Set up an interview with Erin Lindsay," Jay ordered, immediately leaving the department after.

"You got it boss!" Trudy called after the retreating back of Jay.

* * *

Erin couldn't actually believe it. That she actually got an interview at JH Tech. When she told her friends— Annie and Caitlin— about her interview, they freaked out, filling her in on just how big the company was and just how people were dying to work for it. Not to mention, they went on and on about just how hot the CEO was. But that was a far cry from what the staffing agent had told her about the job. She had made it seem like he was a nightmare to work for.

But as she sat across from the CEO, this Jay Halstead, she had to admit her friends got it right. He was hot.

She kept a small smile on her face as she watched him look at her resume on the computer. She knew she was lacking in a lot of the department so she figured showing him that she was a positive and optimistic person with a smile on her face couldn't hurt. He glanced over at her every so often, Erin keeping that smile on every time. Finally, he was done reading her short resume and took off his glasses, resting them on his neat desk.

"Your experience leaves a lot to be desired," Jay commented, sounding unimpressed. Erin gulped.

"I understand that Mr. Halstead. But I assure you that I am a fast learner. I can pick things up super quickly. Whatever you need. I also have a lot of experience dealing with customers so if you need me to sweet talk any of your clients, I'm your girl."

Jay glanced at her statement and narrowed his eyes. There was something menacing about this guy, Erin thought. Sure he was hot but he was all tense and stoic like he hadn't gotten laid in years. But she knew it was false. Annie and Caitlin went on and on about all the different famous models he had dated before she came in for her interview.

Jay cleared his throat. "I'm sure you've heard that I can be very…..demanding," Jay started. "I have high standards both for myself and this company. I built this company from scratch and I hate to have some….assistant ruin the image of the company." Erin nodded, still trying to smile. "You don't have the proper qualification or the experience. All you have is some can-do attitude."

"That can go far in life," Erin interjected, smiling sheepishly when Jay just responded with a glare. "That's just a small joke. Sorry." Jay just grunted, not amused. Erin sighed. "Mr. Halstead, I know that I'm lacking in a lot of places but believe me, wherever I am lacking I can more than make up for it in determination and hard work. I know that you have high standards and expectations and I'm telling you, please give me a chance and let me prove to you that with me by your side, as your personal assistant, you won't regret it."

"You can go now." Erin's heart fell, knowing that she was being dismissed. She sucked in her tongue, trying to control her dislike of this arrogant guy. _He_ was supposed to be the most eligible bachelor in Chicago? Erin could snort at that. He was an ass— a self-important, arrogant, and rude ass. But she still sucked it up, having far too much experience dealing with jerks like him at her work.

"Thank you for your time anyway," she said, making her way out of the office.

"9 a.m." Jay called out, Erin turning around in confusion. "A second late and you'll be fired before you even start."

Erin gasped in shock. "I got the job?" Jay just looked up and gave her a dead stare. "Thank you!" she smiled, this one more genuine than before. "You won't regret it."

Jay didn't say anything to that. Instead he just looked back down on his computer. "Go see Burger or Burmen in the H.R. She'll help you fill out the paperworks." Erin nodded, too excited and unable to believe that she actually got the job.

* * *

"Hello, I'm Erin Lindsay and I'm looking for Burger?" The woman at the desk just gave her a funny look. "Burmen?" The woman still looked at Erin like she lost her head. "I'm sorry. It's just I'm the new assistant for Mr. Halstead and he told me to come here and look for someone named Burger or Burmen to fill out my paperworks."

The woman nodded. "Burgess!" she barked, a small woman with brown hair a couple of desk down squeaked out, startled. "Get over here." _Burgess_ made her way over. "This is Erin Lindsay. She's the new P.A," the woman introduced Erin to Burgess. "You should know the drill by now Burgess."

"Of course Trudy." Burgess turned to Erin. "Should we get started? Let's give you a tour of the place."

Erin followed Burgess out of the H.R department to the rest of the large company. "I'm Kim by the way."

"Erin." Erin felt comfortable around Kim. She was the first person Erin had met today that she felt comfortable around. Everyone else she had met so far was just….scary. "I can't believe I'm actually working here." Erin looked around in awe at the fancy large company. The decorations and furniture were top of the line and everything looked so modern and clean. "Is that...did we just pass by a gym?"

Kim chuckled. "Yeah. The company has a gym and a pool." She paused in her steps, turning around to face. "We even have a spa."

"Wow," Erin let out. "I guess it's true what people say. This place is like a freaking work dream come true." Then a question came to her. "Then why is the P.A position open?"

Kim let her into the cafeteria, only this cafeteria was bigger than any Erin had seen before. Varieties of choices were available, a few employees enjoying their lunch at the tables in the middle. Erin followed Kim into what she assumed was the break room, several coffee makers and a whole wall filled with coffee, teas, drinks, and snacks proudly on display.

"Let's just say it's great to be an employee here….at any other department other than Mr. Halstead's P.A." Kim replied. "The pay is amazing and the benefits are beyond and the further you work away from him the better. But being his P.A, you'd be around him all the time and you have to fulfill every one of his demands."

"Like bring him coffee?"

"For starters, yeah." Kim chuckled. "He likes his coffee very specifically. Come on."

Erin followed Kim as they went back to the top floor where Jay's office and H.R was located, finally stopping in a smaller kitchen than the communal one at the main floor.

"This is his personal one," Kim told her. "Only people from his personal office and H.R are allowed in here." Kim went over to one of the coffee maker. "Every morning at 9, he likes his coffee ready. He's very specific like I said." Kim started making the coffee, demonstrating for Erin. "It's half Colombian blend and half Ethopian blend, the water is at exactly 196 degree in a ceramic coffee dripper for a smooth pour over." Kim handed Erin a cup to taste.

Erin took a sip, letting the taste play out on her tongue. "It tastes like coffee." Maybe Erin was just unrefined when it came to fancy coffee and the many elaborate ways of making a cup. But it tasted like any other cup of Joe.

"Right?" Kim laughed, agreeing. "But Mr. Halstead swears he can taste a difference." Erin just raised her brow, not really believing that.

"What's up Burgess?" they turned at the newest comer in the office, a black man with a very nice smile making his way in.

"Kev," Kim smiled at the man. "This is Erin, she's the new P.A. Erin, this is Kevin Atwater."

"Ooh," Kevin gave Erin a sympathetic look. "The new P.A huh?" He winced. "Good luck girl." He grabbed an energy drink from the fridge before leaving.

"He's part of H.R too?"

"No," Kim replied. "He's the head of P.R here."

Erin frowned. "I thought this kitchen was only for Mr. Halstead and H.R."

"His personal office too." Erin looked confused. "It's just a nicer way of saying his friends," Kim rolled her eyes. "He has several of his friends working for him. Like Kevin went to same college with him and they're close friends. But Kevin is really nice and he's definitely the go-to if you need anything. I swear to god, he has a hook up for everything. Probably the reason why he's in P.R."

Soon they were back in H.R office at Kim's desk and in front of them was a large binder, Erin's eyes taking in all the new rules and guidelines she needed to memorize.

"These are all his requirements?" Erin asked, flipping over all the new pages. Kim nodded.

"Good luck?"

* * *

"Half Colombian….half Ethiopian," Erin muttered to herself as she struggled making the coffee for Jay. It was her first day and she was determined to get things off on the right foot with her new job. She even came in a hour early, wanting to perfect his very specific coffee order. "Water...water…" she tested the temperature, finding it the right degree that Kim told her and she pour the water over the coffee dripper, watching and waiting patiently as the coffee began to drip, drop by drop into the carafe. "He's an anal guy isn't he?" she commented herself as the coffee finished brewing.

By exactly 9 in the morning, she was all ready with the cup of coffee and she knocked on the large double door, entering the office when she heard his voice telling her to come in from the other side.

"Good morning Mr. Halstead," Erin greeted happily. "Here's your coffee this morning." Jay looked at his watch.

"It's 9. How did you already have the coffee made?"

"Oh, I came in early this morning." Erin smiled, hoping to impress her new boss. Jay just knitted his brows before taking a sip of the coffee, slamming the cup back down on the saucer, Erin frowning at the reaction. She had tasted a little bit of it, wanting it to be perfect and it tasted exactly like the one Kim had made.

"It's cold now," Jay complained, making a disgusted face at her coffee. "It's terrible."

Erin picked up the cup, the warm temperature of the liquid warming her fingers. "I made it at exactly 196 degree…"

"Yes but you made it a while ago and now it has gotten cold. Probably because you made it before I even got to the office at 9," Jay argued back. "Are you arguing with me that it's not the right temperature?"

Erin shook her head, biting her tongue. "No." She gave him an apologetic smile. "I can make you another cup."

"Forget it," Jay cut her off. "Just call downstairs to the Starbucks and tell them to bring up my regular order." He waved her off and Erin nodded, leaving the office. She sat down at her desk that was right outside of his door, frowning. She had came in early to make a good impression and it was only the first task of the day and she had already failed. She sighed, already feeling let down by herself but managed to follow his order anyway and called the Starbucks downstairs.

A few minutes later, she heard the elevator dinged and she thought it was the Starbucks barista bringing up Jay's coffee. Instead, it was a man, dressed in a comfortable t-shirt and jeans and who looked quite surprised to see her.

"Um hi?" the man said.

Erin smiled, recognizing the man immediately. She had seen him several times in magazines and interviews, often by her boss' side. "Mr. Gerwitz," she greeted him, knowing that he was Jay's best friend and one of the main contributors to the company. "Good morning. I'm Erin Lindsay and I'm Mr. Halstead's new assistant."

The guy just nodded hesitantly. "Is Jay in?"

"Yes, Mr. Halstead is in his office, Mr. Gerwitz."

Mouse paused, turning back around to look at Erin. "Please just call me Mouse," he said. "Erin Lindsay." Erin nodded. Mouse shook his head slightly before he entered the office. Erin had thought it was strange but she chalked it up to tech guys and their awkwardness.

* * *

"Met the new assistant," Mouse started as he sat down in front of Jay. "So tell me something? Is Erin the Harvard graduate or the ex-assistant of the Fortune 500 CEO?" Jay tossed a glare at Mouse, going back to ignoring his friend. "Come on Jay. What are you doing?"

"I needed an assistant and she applied to be one."

Mouse chuckled. "So you're telling me that she was the most qualified out of everyone that applied? More so than the woman who had years of experience?"

"Sure."

"Yeah fucking right," Mouse scoffed. "Come on, man. What are you thinking here?"

"Nothing Mouse! It's just a damn job."

Mouse snorted. "Okay so it's just a perfectly normal coincidence that the woman you had a huge crush on all throughout high school is now just working for you? Does she even remember you? Because she sure looked like she had no idea who I was when I saw her."

Jay sighed, shaking his head. "I don't think so."

Mouse gave Jay a sympathetic look. "I didn't think so. So what? You're hoping that by her working here, she'll finally fall for you?"

"No!" Jay denied.

"Then what?" Mouse asked. "Just what are you hoping to get out of this?"

"I want to get revenge!" Jay finally revealed, his face turning redder by the seconds.

"Jay…"

Jay was breathing deeply now. "You know the hell we went through in high school Mouse. You were right next to me the whole time. And you know what Erin did in Senior year. How cruel it was. And now I'm finally on top this time. I'm not the loser that I was in high school. Now she is the one that needs my help." Jay paused. "Don't you think it's completely fucked up that she could do what she did and just completely move on like it's nothing? Like she sees me and she doesn't even realize that she completely ripped my heart out in high school and humiliated me in front of everyone? Because she probably has done it to so many others that we all just blended together for her."

"Jay, that was in high school," Mouse pointed out. "That was years ago."

"Yeah, but it doesn't mean it hurt any less." Mouse sighed, knowing just how hurt Jay was by _the incident _in Senior year. That what had happened then had shaped Jay into the man that he was today in his personal life and why he had closed himself off to women or at least as anything more than just one night stands or flings.

"So what's your plan here?"

Jay smirked, although it looked half-hearted as best to Mouse. "Make her miserable as she made me."

* * *

Erin plopped down on her bed, completely exhausted. To describe her job as demanding would be an understatement. It had only been two weeks and she was completely worn out. Her regular hours were supposed to be from 9 to 6 but it seemed as though Jay was determined to keep her in the office. They often worked super late into the night and coming home at 9 was becoming more and more common.

She had thought about quitting many times during the long two weeks, like every time she got reamed by her boss for making a tiny bit of mistakes but every time, the looming threat of Jimmy over her and her mom had stopped her. She needed the money and she needed it fast and there was no way she'd be able to find another job that paid as well as this, especially with all the overtime hours she'd been working, so she knew she'd just have to suck it up.

She twisted around in her bed until she was lying on her elbow and she glanced over the drawing she had pasted by the side of her bed. She smiled whenever she saw the drawing. She didn't even know who had given her the drawing but she loved it so much.

It was a drawing of herself, in comic book style. Only she was drawn as a superhero, a female warrior, with a cape on her shoulders that was blowing in the wind, she looked fierce and she looked totally badass. At the bottom of the picture, there was 'Amazing Erin' scribbled on it, her superhero name. There was no artist's name, no initials to tell her who the artist was, who had seen her as this amazing person in a way she didn't see herself, especially when she was 17 years old. She could only vaguely remember when she had gotten the drawing.

_She had been crying into her locker after school, long past the hours when the kids would roam the hallways. She remembered it was around the homecoming season and she was so excited to be going to her first dance. She had even saved up enough money for a dress and had hidden it in her backpack, just carried it around with her so no one— mainly her mom— could steal it. _

_She was supposed to go shopping for dresses with Stephanie and her crew. Some days Erin couldn't believe that she had been accepted as part of the popular crowd. Of course, none of the kids knew about her junkie mom and deadbeat dad and she worked hard to keep it that way, just kept her head down and her mouth shut whenever her 'friends' were causing trouble, just went with the flow. Somehow she even had the most popular guy in school as her boyfriend. Landon was as interesting as a frat boy and was just as dumb too but he was at least useful. No one really dared to cross her when she was his girlfriend. Not even Stephanie. And Erin just knew that Stephanie would just have a field day if she found out about the truth about Erin._

_Like how her mother was a drug addict, so far gone that she had resorted to stealing from her own daughter. Because when Erin searched her backpack earlier for her dress fund, the money she worked so hard to saved up was gone and she just knew that Bunny had gotten to it. Even worse, when she told Landon about not being able to make it to the dance on the account that she had no dress, he just flippantly dismissed her, angry and told her that he'd be going with Stephanie. He was an ass and she couldn't believe that she was actually shedding tears over it. She was just glad that she was alone. Or that was what she thought. _

_She felt a presence next to her locker and she cursed under her breath, having been caught crying. She looked up and saw a piece of paper being held out. She tried to blink her tears away, trying to get a better look at the guy. But before she could even say anything, he just said "I thought you could use this," his voice was gentle and understanding. And before she could even registered what had happened, he had already left and she was left holding the drawing in her hand. _

_She vaguely recognized the guy, one of the loner kids that her friends loved picking on yet he was nice enough to give her the drawing that depicted her as this beautiful figure, one that didn't match the image she had of herself in her mind at all. _

_Ever since then, she kept that drawing close to her. Whenever she was having a hard time in life, she'd look at that drawing and see 'Amazing Erin' all standing tall and fierce looking back at her and it would give her strength._

She knew that she needed to hang in there this time too. She could do this. She could survive working for Jay Halstead.

* * *

"No no no!" Erin heard his shouts of frustration through the office door, Erin grimacing at the thought that he'd be in a bad mood now. "Damn it."

She knocked on the door lightly, entering it. He looked like a mess, his hair all messed up from him pulling it, his glasses that he used for work in his mouth, and he looked frazzled. For a moment, she felt bad for him, knowing how hard Jay worked daily.

"Are you okay?"

Jay looked at her strangely, like he was taken aback by her inquiring how he was doing. "Yeah," he finally managed to answer.

"It didn't really sound like it," Erin returned, stepping closer. "Do you need me to do anything?"

Jay scoffed. "No, not unless you're an expert in sports analytics." He dropped the file he was looking at on the desk, Erin getting a glance of what he was working on.

"A proposal for the Bears?"

Jay nodded. "We're expanding into the Sports world. What?" he asked seeing the strange look on Erin's face.

"Nothing," she shrugged. "It's just...you don't really seem like the sports type."

"I'm not," Jay bit back. "That's why I don't understand half of the things written here. Like this YAC? What the hell is that?"

"Yards after catch," Erin replied easily, catching Jay's eyes. She chuckled. "You're really lost about this aren't you?" She couldn't believe that he didn't know simple acronyms about football. That he was clueless about the most basic stats. She chuckled, studying him.

"I wasn't exactly a jock in high school," he said, staring at her. She felt his eyes lingered on her like he was waiting for something but she didn't know what. Finally, he cleared his throat. "You know this stuff?"

Erin nodded. "Yeah." she paused, hesitating. "I can help you."

Jay looked at his watch. "It's 8 already."

Erin shrugged. "Eh, I've gotten used to long hours working here." She saw him hesitating so she made the first move, dragging the chair next to him and sitting down, grabbing the file. "It's no big deal." He looked at her and her new close proximity to him for a minute before he finally nodded.

"Okay."

They spent hours pouring over the proposal, Erin filling Jay in on football terms he didn't know and just generally giving him the basic run down of America's game. They were set to meet the son of the Bears owner in a week and Jay would be proposing to let JH Tech take over the analytics and technological advances for the football team. It was JH Tech's first venture into the sports world so Jay had stressed how important it was.

"Shit, it's nearly midnight now," Jay finally noticed, looking at his watch. "We should call it a night."

"No, we're almost done here!" Erin protested. "It's just a few more pages."

"We should at least get some food. We skipped dinner." He picked up his phone to place an order. "I know this Chinese place that's still open. What do you want?"

Erin waved him off. "I'm not hungry. I'm okay." As if on cue, her stomach growled, Erin's face getting hot in embarrassment. Jay just gave her a knowing look. "Chow mein is fine," she said, giving in. Jay just smiled, placing the order on the phone.

Just about twenty minutes later, the food was delivered and Erin had the best Chinese food of her life. She practically inhaled the noodles, her stomach more than satisfied.

"Mmm," she hummed. "How come I've never heard of this place before?"

"It's just a small mom and pop place," Jay replied, still working on his food. "A little hole in the wall. What?" he asked, catching Erin's surprised look.

Erin shook her head, smiling. "I guess I'm just surprised that you'd even eat at places like that."

Jay frowned, "Why?"

"I don't know," Erin shrugged. "Thought you'd only eat at five star restaurants. Those are the places you were spotted the most in the magazines."

Jay groaned, rolling his eyes. "Please don't tell me you like reading those."

"I don't!" Erin replied. "It's just...my friends told me about them when they found out I'd be working here. I had to look you up." Jay went quiet at that, Erin feeling like she overstepped some unwritten boundaries. The easy atmosphere that they had created with working side by side and eating dinner together evaporating quickly.

But before she could say something to ease the tension, Jay had recovered and gave her a small smile, the gesture looking foreign on his face that had mostly greeted her with a stern expression. "I'm different than people think."

Erin had to agree with that. The magazine had made it seem like Jay Halstead was a charming womanizer. But working for him these past few weeks, she'd come to realize that he was different from how the magazines and interviews had depicted him. For starters, she hadn't seen him date….at all. She spent late nights working outside his office, handling his calls and no girlfriends had called. And she realized that the easy charming persona he displayed in public was an act, the real Jay was more guarded and quiet behind the doors.

"Yeah you are," she said, agreeing with him. Jay just chuckled and returned his focus on his food, Erin taking the opportunity to study her boss. He was strict and serious for sure, he had high demands and expectations of her and she was nearly killing herself, not wanting to disappoint him. But now that they were alone, just eating dinner together like they could be friends and he had somehow let his guards down just a bit, there was something charming about him. And she wasn't talking about the persona and the mask he put on in public. This was real. He looked up and their eyes met, neither of them able to look away. Erin held his gaze, a soft smile taking over her face when she spotted the small smear of sauce on the side of his lips.

"What?" he asked, smiling along with her. She noticed then just how good his smile looked, especially the crinkles on the corner of his eyes. She pointed to her mouth, showing him that he had some sauce on his. He quickly wiped it off and she giggled, seeing him blush in embarrassment. Her scary boss was actually adorable. Who knew?

Their moment was interrupted when the door suddenly opened and Mouse barged in.

"I knew you were still here!" Mouse started but immediately stopping when he took in the scene— Erin and Jay sitting side by side, papers strewn aside to make way for cartons of Chinese take-outs, and both with soft smiles on their faces. "Oh sorry!"

Jay cleared his throat, steeling his face. "It's fine," he said gruffly. "What are you doing here Mouse?"

"I thought you'd still be here obsessing over the proposal so I thought I'd come by and make you go home."

"Sorry," Erin interjected. "I was sort of the one who kept him overtime." She stood up, cleaning up the desk. "Call it a night?" Jay nodded, helping her clean up. "No it's okay, I got it." Erin said but Jay didn't listen and continued helping her clean up even though it was her job.

After the last carton of food was thrown into the trash and papers were neatly stacked together again, Erin stood awkwardly in the office, or almost as awkward as Jay looked, Mouse glancing back and forth between the two.

"Okay then I'll see you tomorrow then Mr. Halstead," Erin said, making her way out of the office.

"Jay," she turned around. "Call me Jay." Erin smiled, nodding. "Um, it's really late and you're probably exhausted. My driver would take you home."

Erin shook her head. "No it's okay. I have my car."

"Leave it here," Jay stated. "Like I said it's late. I can't have my employee driving half asleep. Take the car. I'll have the driver pick you up tomorrow too."

"Okay," Erin agreed. "Thank you. Good night Jay." She smiled. "Bye Mouse."

"Good night Erin."

* * *

"What?" Jay asked, ignoring the look Mouse was giving him.

Mouse shrugged. "It's just….a bit strange to walk in here and see you out on a date with your assistant."

"Pssh. It's not a date," Jay denied.

"I don't know about that," Mouse retorted. "It's midnight. It's just the two of you sitting side by side and eating dinner. Looks like a date to me."

"Well it's not," Jay bit out. "We were working. She was helping me understand some football things and it got late and we were hungry. So we ordered food."

"So that sappy smiles that I saw you two exchanging when I walked in...that was nothing?"

"What sappy smiles?" Jay rolled his eyes. "Just leave it man."

"Mmm hmm" Mouse hummed. "I'm just saying, maybe your past feelings for the girl are coming back." Jay scoffed. "I mean, she certainly still looks gorgeous. Working late, in close proximity...maybe your little revenge plan would just lead to you falling in love with her again."

"Please," Jay protested. "I'm not going to fall for Erin Lindsay again."

Mouse just chuckled, not believing him for a second. "Sure man. Whatever you say."

Jay threw the balled up napkin at his best friend. "Get out of here man."

"Who's gonna give you a ride then bro?" Mouse retorted, holding up his car keys. "Come on. Unlike you who is beyond help, I need my beauty sleep."

"Hey, you're talking about Vogue's bachelor of the year here," Jay retorted, shaking his head fondly before putting on his jacket and following Mouse out of the office.

* * *

Erin was having a good morning. Despite staying past midnight last night, she actually had a good night sleep and was feeling extra refreshed this morning. Of course, Jay actually being nice to her last night didn't have anything to do with it.

"Whoa who had a dinner party here last night?" Kim commented as she joined Erin in the small kitchen, noticing the stacks of cartons in the trash can.

"Oh yeah, we ended up staying late last night so we ordered dinner."

Kim's eyes widened in surprise. "Wait, who's we?"

"Me and Jay...I mean Mr. Halstead," Erin quickly corrected herself, feeling awkward about calling Jay by his name in front of others.

"Wow," Kim gasped in awe. Erin frowned, asking Kim to elaborate. "It's just it's the first time he ever had dinner with any of his employees that's not his friends— let alone his assistant. Usually his old assistants have to wait outside the restaurants or office so they don't disturb him. You're something special Erin."

Erin felt her face getting hot. "No I'm not," she scoffed, waving it off.

"No I'm serious," Kim replied. "I mean not only have you survived three weeks of working for him, you've actually managed to get him to like you enough to get you food. No one has ever done that before."

Erin didn't know what to say to not make it a bigger deal. She didn't want gossip spreading through the company about herself so she retreated, giving Kim a quick goodbye before heading back to her desk.

She arrived back at her desk the same time that Jay arrived, a smile coming over Erin's face involuntarily like she couldn't stop herself. Jay returned the smile, a far departure from her earlier days of working for him where he just merely grunted as a greeting.

"Good morning Jay."

"Good morning Erin," he stopped and approached her desk. "I just wanted to thank you for last night and helping me with my proposal."

"Oh it's nothing," she said, waving it off. "It's just part of my job." Jay nodded, giving her a small smile and entering his office.

It had been a busy morning for Erin, fielding calls left and right and setting up meetings and conference calls for Jay. But it was interesting work, far better than working retail.

"Hi," Erin looked up at the new arrival.

"Hello," she returned. "How can I help you?" She took in the familiar features of the man, thinking where she knew him before finally recognizing him. "Will?"

Will knitted his brows, looking at her. She saw the moment when he registered who she was. "Erin Lindsay? Is that you?" Erin nodded, getting up from her desk to greet Will in a hug.

"I can't believe it's you!" she exclaimed. "I haven't seen you since you graduated high school. What are you doing here?" Then things clicked for her. "Oh my god, I can't believe I didn't put two and two together. You're Jay's brother?"

Will nodded. "Yeah. You're working for Jay?"

"Yeah," Erin replied. "Wow, what a small world! I can't believe you two are brothers."

"What's going on?" Jay exited his office, coming to a stop when he saw his brother with his arms around Erin. "Will, what are you doing here?" Jay asked, sounding less than happy at seeing Will.

"Jay, I can't believe you didn't tell me that your brother is _the _Will Halstead," Erin exclaimed. "He was a legend in high school." If Landon was popular then they needed a whole another word to describe Will. He was friends with everyone and knew everyone in school.

"Yeah," Will said sheepishly, both of the Halstead brothers looking uncomfortable.

"Wait. Jay how come you didn't go to St. Ignatius?" Erin asked, wondering why he didn't attend the same school as his brother.

Jay bristled at the question. "He did," Will replied for him, Erin frowning at the answer. "He was in the same class as you actually."

"Oh," Erin uttered out awkwardly. "I didn't…I didn't know you had a brother."

"No one did," Jay finally said. "Will made sure that no one knew we were related." Erin glanced over at Jay. "Because Mr. Popularity was embarrassed of people finding out that he had a loser brother going to the same school."

"Jay," Will began.

"I'm sorry," Erin told Jay. "I didn't know." Erin felt terrible that she didn't know that she and Jay went to the same school.

"Yeah don't worry. No one did. No one really noticed the weird loner at the back of the class," Jay said, storming back into his office.

* * *

"Jay inside?" Mouse asked as he came into the office. Erin nodded. Jay had pretty much holed himself into his office after Will's sudden appearance. She saw the rocky relationship between the two brothers and she guessed she couldn't blame Jay for being angry at Will. Because Will had been embarrassed of Jay and had made sure no one knew that they were related. Because Jay wasn't popular. He wasn't cool.

"Yeah, Mouse can I talk to you?" Mouse nodded. "I know you've known Jay for a long time now. Did you go to St. Ignatius too?"

"Yeah we both did."

"I didn't know that," Erin let out a sigh. "Were you guys...picked on?"

"Pretty much every day," Mouse replied.

"By Stephanie and Landon?" Mouse nodded. Not that Erin was exactly surprised. If anyone was vindictive and mean spirited enough to pick on kids in school. It would've been her friends. "That's terrible. I'm sorry."

"You really didn't recognize Jay?" Mouse questioned, looking at her face.

Erin shook her head. "No."

"Not even after…" he trailed off, not completing his sentence.

"Not even after what?"

"Nothing," Mouse shook it off. "Never mind. Just….it wasn't the best time for Jay. But I told him that it was years ago but you know, some things are just hard to forget and get over. But don't worry, Jay is not usually the vindictive type and he'll just get over his stupid plan. I'm going to go check on him." Mouse rambled on before entering Jay's office, Erin left reeling with all the new information.

She sat down on her desk, going over Mouse's words, wondering what he was talking about. Mouse had made it seem like she had done something to Jay but she hadn't. Sure she didn't really stand up for any of the bullied kids but she was just trying to keep her own head above the water. And the whole rambling about vindictiveness and plan….

She gasped, putting the pieces together.

The whole time she had been wondering just how she was lucky enough to get a job like this with her qualification and experience. Especially after Kim had let it slipped that they had far more qualified applicants. But Erin was more than happy enough to chalk it up to luck. But what if it wasn't? What if this had been Jay's plan all along?

To get revenge on her for being picked on in high school. She flashed back to all the times he had scolded her, had nitpicked every tiny flaws. Was he enjoying this? Being in the position of power over her?

She scoffed, anger surging through her. She had thought they had made progress last night but finding out that she was just being used for revenge, she was pissed.

She glanced back at the closed door, cursing under her breath.

If Jay thought he could get revenge on Erin, then he had another thing coming. Because two could certainly play at this game.

* * *

_Jesse in glasses...that's all I have to say. _


	2. Part II

Part II

"Here you go Jay," Erin placed the cup of coffee on Jay's desk, her usual smile on her face so he wouldn't notice that anything was off. She watched carefully as he took his first sip of coffee, gauging his reaction.

"Mmm, good coffee."

"Thank you," Erin replied. "It's your usual order." Jay took more sips, finishing the cup quickly.

"Ah," he let out. "I needed that. I'm glad that finally after a whole month of working here, you've managed to get the coffee order correct. Who knows? Maybe if this job doesn't work out, you'll have a career as a barista to fall back on. Of course thanks to my coffee aficionado self teaching you what a decent cup of coffee is like."

She gritted down her anger, that sickeningly sweet smile not giving away to the many different ways she was thinking of killing him running inside her head. "A second cup?" She grabbed the cup from him, Jay thanking her as she made her way out of his office and headed into the kitchen to make him a second cup of the coffee.

She entered the kitchen, glancing around to make sure she was by herself and headed over to the counter, pulling out the container of instant coffee she had brought this morning.

"Coffee aficionado, my ass," she muttered to herself as she scooped out a couple of teaspoons of the instant coffee grains into Jay's cup. "Can't even tell the difference from Folger's. I knew he was just being difficult on purpose." After she had put together the pieces of just why Jay had hired her, she wanted to test out her hypothesis. Did he really hire her because he thought she was right for the job even though she didn't have all the right qualifications and experience or did he just do so because he somehow wanted to lord over the fact that he, the bullied kid in high school, was now successful and rich while she, the popular one, was stuck as his lowly assistant? Assuming by the way he didn't even notice her changing out his very specific and particular coffee with just instant coffee, she was leaning towards the latter. Like all those times he had her remade his coffee until he was satisfied when she first started or nitpicked every little thing about her work until she was sure she was about to get fired.

Now that she knew his intentions, she remembered all the different times that he had given her strange tasks, seeing them in a different light.

Like the time he had sent her on a wild goose chase for a specific vintage video game, insisting that he needed it for research. Erin had spent two whole days going from one thrift store after another, trying to find it only to have found the rare copy in the basement of a middle aged gamer that fitted all the stereotype of a geek to a tee— living in his mom's basement, sweatpants on and a stench that had Erin nearly retching the whole hour she had to spent in that basement trying to convince the guy to sell her the game. He hadn't been willing to sell it, at least not until Erin went on a date with him so she spent the next hour trying not to throw up the pizza she had forced herself to eat, breathing out of her nose until he finally sold her the game. And when she proudly displayed the result of her hard work to Jay, he had been quick to dismiss it, telling her coolly that he didn't need the game anymore.

Or the time she had to accompany him to a business dinner with an oil tycoon from Texas who was thinking about venturing into tech business and investing in JH Tech. Only for Jay to dipped out halfway through dinner, claiming work emergency and leaving Erin to sit through the rest of the six course dinner with a misogynistic, backward pig who wouldn't stop calling her 'sweetheart' throughout dinner and had gone on and on about women not belonging in the corporate world beyond being secretaries. Erin had to swallow down her urge to punch the old man until his dentures flew out of his mouth along with all of his sexist beliefs. Then after the long and torturous dinner was finally over, she had returned to the office only to find the '_work emergency'_ was Mouse having brought dinner and the two of them laughing, enjoying it in Jay's office. Erin had brushed the incident off then, convinced herself that perhaps Mouse was going through something and Jay was just being a good friend, helping his best friend out. After all, she had thought that Jay wouldn't purposely ruin a potential business deal even though it was clear that the oil tycoon and Jay going into business together wouldn't have worked out well at all.

And she could recall many more similar incidents during the past month she had started working here. But she knew better now.

She knew she needed the job and the money and really shouldn't be taking the risk of pissing him off on purpose but Erin just couldn't help herself. She spent years keeping her head down, trying to just get by until she had enough and learned to stand up for herself like the way she wasn't able to in high school. She was not going to just stand idly by as she let her boss get one over on her.

* * *

She heard the buzz on the intercom, Jay signaling for her to come into his office.

"Yes Jay?"

He took off his glasses, pinching the bridge of his nose before dropping his eyes on her. She studied his features from where she was standing, trying to remember going to the same high school with him but no recollection came. She had done her best to bury her memories of high school as best she could, not wanting to remember anything about those days.

"...dinner," she snapped out of her daydream, lucky enough to have caught the end of whatever Jay was telling her.

"Dinner, right." She nodded, acting as though she had been listening the whole time. "Um, what would you like me to order?"

"That Thai restaurant that I had you ordered from last time," Jay replied. "Same order as before."

"Right away Jay," she turned to leave, having been dismissed by Jay when he put his glasses back on, returning his attention back to his work. He really did work hard, Erin noticed. He was always staying late in his office, working on one project after another. She wondered if he even had any social life outside of the events he had to attend for work.

"Remember, not too spicy!" He called after her to remind her about his dislike for spicy food. He could handle just a little bit of heat but not too much, Erin having learned that the last time she ordered him pad thai with just a little bit too much chilli flakes and Jay nearly choking on his food.

"Of course!" She reassured him, tossing him a smile over her shoulders.

She got back to her desk and made the call to the restaurant to place the food order.

"One order of chicken pad thai, one tom yum soup," she instructed the waiter on the other side of the phone. "How spicy?" She looked at the closed office door, smirking. "The spiciest level, Level 10."

The food smelled heavenly when it arrived, Erin's own stomach growling at just the scent of the delicious food, hadn't had dinner herself yet. She thanked the delivery man and knocked on the door, Jay telling her to come in.

"Here you go," she placed the food on the coffee table he had in his office, opening the to-go boxes to get them ready for him. He stood up from his desk and took off his suit jacket, draping it across his chair. He walked over to her, rolling up the sleeves of his blue button down shirt and taking a seat on the small sofa. She tried not to stare at the veins in his forearms that were now on full display as he sat, her ultimate weakness on a man. Despite her feelings about him, she couldn't deny the fact that he was attractive— _very_ attractive. _Seriously, _she would have noticed someone this hot in high school, wouldn't she? He reached across the table to grab the chopstick, prying the two sticks apart, giving her the full view of his forearms, her throat becoming dry at the sight of them. She needed to get ahold of herself and not come undone just by the sight of his freaking arms, for god's sake. She cleared her throat, trying to focus on something else— _anything else_ except how hot he looked sitting there with the sleeves of his blue shirt that seemed to made his eyes even bluer rolled up, his normally perfectly-coiffed hair messed up from the day and the slacks he was wearing straining against his muscular thighs.

He brought his gaze up at her, Erin immediately directing her gaze somewhere else so she wouldn't be caught checking out her boss. When she was brave enough to take a glance at him again, she caught a hint of smirk on his face. He was a handsome bastard. Too bad he was also a smug bastard too.

That smirk was still there as he took his first bite of food, immediately coughing at the taste. He coughed several more times, a thin sheen of sweat dripping down his forehead and he searched frantically for the water bottle to temper the spiciness down.

"Oh here, let me!" Erin grabbed the water bottle before he could, twisting the cap as slowly as she could. "Oh gosh, give me a second Jay. The cap's on too tight." She acted as though she was having an impossibly difficult time opening the bottle, Jay hanging his tongue out, blowing his breath out to get rid of the taste. When he couldn't stand the pain and wait any longer, he grabbed the bottle out of her hand and twisted it open as fast as he could and gulped nearly the whole bottle down.

"Fuck!" he cursed, still feeling the residual effect of the food.

"Are you okay?" Erin asked, feigning concern, trying to hide her own smirk. "I don't know what happened. I specifically told them to make the food mild." Jay downed the rest of the water down, unable to form a proper reply just yet. "Maybe it just went down wrong. You should take another bite."

"No!" Jay immediately protested, bringing his hand up as to shield him from the big bad to-go container. "I mean," he cleared his throat, recovering. "No, it's fine."

"Maybe try the papaya salad? It might be better." Jay shook his head, letting out a small quiet burp. Erin almost felt bad at seeing his red face and swollen lips but then she thought about having to suffer through the worst B.O of her life as she had to go on 'a date' with the gamer and she felt less guilty.

"It's okay," Jay replied, his voice still hoarse. "I'm not hungry anymore." He gave her a grateful smile as she dutifully handed him another water bottle, fake concern etched in her expression. "Thank you."

Erin let out a snort, snickering quietly as she sat back down at her desk, the barely touched food in front of her at Jay's insistence. '_Serves him right!' _She thought to herself as she took a bite of the food, letting the deliciousness wash down her throat. It was a good night for Erin. Not only did she get to mess with Jay a little, she even got a free dinner out of it.

* * *

It had almost been two months since she started the job and besides the pay that came with it, her friendship with Kim was definitely Erin's favorite perk of the job. They just clicked right from the start and Kim was the only person in the whole company that Erin actually saw being friends with outside of work.

"Hey." She always loved stopping by the H.R department whenever she had some time, either to see Kim or Trudy who always had something snippy to say but was hilarious with her deadpan humor. Only this time, it was only Kim left in the office, everyone else was on lunch break.

"Hey, you on your lunch break?"

"Yeah," Erin replied, leaning on the counter of Kim's desk. "The boss man is holed up in his office working on the Bears proposal. I'm supposed to be grabbing something for him to eat too."

"Hello beautiful." Erin turned around at the intrusion, finding a good looking guy around their age making his way into the H.R office, a grin on his face. Erin wondered who the guy was, never having seen him before. But apparently by the way he was looking at Kim and Kim who was blushing, Erin assumed it was her boyfriend.

"Hi Adam," Kim replied, giving this Adam a big smile. "What are you doing here?"

"You mean besides to see your beautiful face?" Adam returned, clearly an expert at flirting. "I just got back from Singapore and 'm checking in with Jay."

"Working so hard, I see."

Adam chuckled. "You know how Jay is," he said, rolling his eyes. "Always on my case."

"Um Adam, this is Erin," Kim pointed over to Erin, Adam noticing her standing for the first time. "She's Mr. Halstead's new assistant. Erin, this is Adam Ruzek."

"Oh," Adam winced as he shook Erin's hand. "I'm so sorry to hear that."

"Actually Mr. Halstead is a great boss," Erin found herself defending Jay, quite surprising herself when she found herself meaning it.

"Erin, Adam and Jay are friends from college," Kim explained so Erin would know that Adam was just kidding around when he complained about Jay. "They're good friends."

"Oh," Erin bit her lips, embarrassed.

"It's fine," Adam chuckled, bringing his arm around Erin. "It's actually refreshing to see one of his assistants talk about him nicely. Usually they're too busy crying or shaking with fear when his name comes up. You're special Erin."

"Ahem." They all turned around and found Jay standing by the door, hands in his pants pockets. His eyes narrowed and zoomed into Adam's arms around Erin, who immediately stepped away, Adam's arms falling off of her shoulders.

"Jay!" Adam coolly regarded Jay, not noticing the unhappy look on Jay's face. "Miss me man?"

"No," Jay replied, voice flat.

Adam shook his head, walking over to put his arm around Jay's shoulder. "This guy," Adam said to Erin and Kim. "I know you missed me man!" Adam's other hand coming up to mess up Jay's hair, Jay trying to push Adam away.

"Get off!" Jay pushed Adam off, quickly fixing his hair and his suit. "That month you were gone was the most peaceful month of my life. I don't know what I was thinking hiring the ultimate frat boy."

"Hey!" Adam said, affronted. "I'll have you know that my time as a frat boy had led me to some very valuable life skills." Jay arched his brows. "Like everyone loves me for one. No one can hate this face," Adam said, pointing at his own face. "That's why I'm the best publicist/ambassador for the company you can find."

Erin laughed, enjoying seeing the interaction between Jay and his friend. She knew from what she had seen that Jay and Mouse were thick as thieves like they were practically brothers. And even though Kim had told her that Kevin was also a college friend of Jay's, she hadn't seen them interact before. She wondered just how Jay was in college— was he a quiet loner he was in high school or did he blossom in a different environment? Judging by how he seemed so close with someone like Adam, Erin could guess that college was a far better time for Jay than he had in high school.

"Come on," Jay said, annoyed look on his face that she could tell was half-hearted at best. "Let's go to my office so you can tell me what you did in Singapore for a month besides spend my money."

Erin turned to Kim after the two men left. "That was interesting."

"Yeah, Adam's a goofball. He actually lightens Mr. Halstead up whenever he comes around."

Erin gave Kim a knowing smile. "Hmm, seems like Mr. Halstead's not the only one Adam seems to lighten up." Kim blushed, dropping her gaze. Erin laughed. "So is there something going on between you and Adam?"

Kim shook her head. "No, Adam's a flirt."

"You sure? Because he seemed like he couldn't take his eyes off of you. And the whole calling you beautiful."

Kim gave in. "Alright, so we may have been flirting for the past year or so whenever we see each other. But it's just flirting. Nothing has happened at all."

"Why not? He seemed to like you. You two would be cute together."

"I dated a co-worker once," Kim explained. "It didn't work out too well and it was way too awkward when we broke up until he left the company." Erin nodded, knowingly. "And I was supposed to be up for this promotion and a big raise but I was passed over and I knew it was because I dated within the company. So I promised myself that I wouldn't date anyone I work with." Kim sighed. "Trust me, Adam makes it hard for me to keep my promise. He's just so cute," she let out dreamily. "But Trudy told me on the downlow that there's another promotion coming up and I might be up for it so I have to be strong."

Erin let out an amused laugh. "Okay. I get it."

"What about you? Seeing anyone?"

"Please," Erin rolled her eyes. "With my work hours? How could I? Besides all the guys I've met are jerks and I'd rather spend that time just vegging out in front of my couch."

"Who knows? Maybe that someone's special right around the corner."

Erin scoffed. "Yeah sure. I think I have a better shot of having Mr. Halstead fall in love with me." She waved goodbye to Kim as she left the office.

* * *

Despite whatever reason she had gotten the job, Erin found herself loving the work she was doing. Sure, a lot of it was just grunt work like getting Jay coffee, ordering him food, scheduling his meetings and just other typical assistant things. But every so often, she would be tasked with more interesting things like going over the company's daily spending report and even proofreading the proposals Jay worked on. It made her feel good, like he thought she could be trusted with something more important than just frivolous tasks.

All of Jay's meetings had been done for the day, his appointments having been seen but he was still hard at work inside his office. And for some reason, Erin didn't feel right leaving him, not wanting to be the first person to go home. So she focused on calculating the spending reports, alternating between her laptop and the hard copy of the report on her desk.

Suddenly she was attacked with an assault on her nose when an overpowering fragrance wafted through the air into the office. Erin looked up from her work to find that the scent was coming from the woman that just waltzed right into the office like she owned it. Erin vaguely recognized her from one of the gossip magazines that Annie was a fan of and had shown to Erin before she started working at JH Tech.

Abby something or other. A model and one of Jay's frequent arm candies.

"Is Jay in?" Abby asked, too busy looking at herself in the compact mirror, barely sparing Erin a glance.

"Can I help you?" Erin asked, noticing how Abby was now just making her way towards Jay's office without permission. Erin stood up, standing in front of his door, blocking her way in. "Um Mr. Halstead doesn't like anyone just barging in without him knowing. If you could just take a seat right there, I'll let him know of your arrival."

Abby shot Erin a dirty look. "You do know who I am right?" Abby sneered, Erin just shrugging in response. Abby sighed, annoyed. "I'm Abby Knowles." She was looking at Erin like Erin should start fawning at her feet, unable to believe that such a celebrity was there.

"And you're Mr. Halstead's…" Erin trailed off, wondering how Abby would classify herself when it came to Jay. Surely Abby knew that she wasn't the only woman that Jay was dating, the latter making no secrets of the fact that he had a whole rotation of women he brought to different public events. Erin wondered why these women put themselves through it, how they could be satisfied falling in line, waiting for the day their turn with Jay would come up. Erin knew she could never do that.

"I'm someone important to him," Abby finally replied, heading for the door again but Erin stood firm, blocking the entrance. "Move!"

"I'm sorry but Mr. Halstead has given me a list of people that are allowed to enter without waiting for his permission and I don't recall seeing your name on it, Ms. Knowles."

"What happened to the other girl that worked here? The mousy looking one. Where is she?" Abby questioned. "She was so much better than you. She at least knew her place. She knew I could go into his office without having to wait."

"She was fired," Erin replied. "Probably because she disobeyed 's orders by letting you in."

Abby gave her a glare, curling her lips. "You know I can get you fired like that?" She snapped her fingers for effect. "Right? One word to Jay about how you're treating me and you're out of here."

Erin sighed, not caring about Abby's empty threat. "If you can just take a seat, I'll let him know you're here." Erin pointed Abby to the empty chair a few feet away, turning her back to her to head inside Jay's office. But just as soon as she opened the door and was about to walk in, she was pushed to the side by Abby who barged her way in, Erin falling to the floor in a heap at the sudden push.

Jay stood up from his desk, startled by the unannounced arrival. "What the hell?"

"Jay!" Abby's voice was pure honey, a drastic difference from her earlier tone with Erin. "I missed you."

Jay didn't acknowledge Abby, his eyes glued to Erin who pushed herself off from the floor, wiping her hands against each other. "Bitch," Erin muttered under her breath.

"Why did you push Erin to the floor?" Jay questioned Abby, the woman stammering for a response that would make her look good and Erin bad.

"I….I didn't push her," Abby lied. "She was in my way and I accidentally knocked her over." She turned to Erin. "You're okay right?" She turned back to Jay before Erin even got out a response. "See she's fine."

Jay came out from behind his desk, sitting on the edge of it with his arms crossed. "Is that what happened Erin?" he asked Erin. "It was an accident?"

"Of course it was," Abby answered for Erin. "Besides, none of it would've happened if she would have just let me in the first place." She walked over to Jay, hooking her arm around him. "She was going to make me wait out there."

"I was just following your instructions, Jay," Erin spoke up, defending herself. "Ms. Knowles wasn't on the approved list." Abby shot Erin a glare. "If Abby would've just waited like she was supposed to, I was just about to come in and let you know of her arrival."

"That's…." Abby began, ready to make up more lies but Jay held his hand up, cutting her off.

"Erin you're done for the night. Go home." Erin sucked in her cheeks, trying to contain her anger. She nodded, trying to keep herself measured before heading out of the office.

"Wait!" Abby called out, standing up. "Before you go, I need an apology."

Erin turned, fuming. "Excuse me?"

"An apology," Abby repeated, crossing her arms together. "For not letting me in like you should and making me look bad in front of Jay."

Erin scoffed, unable to believe the gall of Abby. She looked at Jay for his reaction but there was no expression on his face, just his arms crossed and face neutral. Erin turned back to Abby. "I'm not apologizing." Erin retorted. "I didn't do anything wrong. I was just following instructions."

"As a secretary, you should know that making guests feel welcomed is the most important. Don't you even know the most basic aspect of your job? It really doesn't take a lot of brain power, you just have to follow orders."

"That's customer service," Erin muttered to herself, biting down her urge to roll her eyes. "And you get photographed for a living so it's not like your job requires the most brain power in the world either."

"Alright enough!" Jay shouted, cutting both of them off. "Now Abby, do you want to waste more time trying to get an apology that doesn't mean anything coming from her or do you want to tell me why you're here?" He turned to Erin, barely looking at her. "Go home Erin. I'll see you tomorrow."

Erin was fuming inside, both from Abby's rudeness and Jay's casual dismissal of her. He had already turned his back, not caring if she was still in the room or not. She took a deep breath, calming herself down, trying not to smack the smug smile on Abby's face as the bitch waved her goodbye behind Jay's back. Erin stalked out the room, closing the door. She hurriedly gathered the papers on her desk and piled them inside her drawer before she left his office, cursing both of them under her breath the whole time.

* * *

"Gosh Jay, which trash can did you pull her out of? She is absolutely terrible," Abby said, satisfied that she was alone with Jay now. "Not to mention, the horrible clothes she was wearing. She is a mess. I have my old clothes that I was about to throw away, maybe some of them could fit her big hips. Jay, you have an image to uphold and you can't have an assistant looking and acting like that." She sighed. "You should fire her."

"What are you doing here?" Jay asked, ignoring Abby's jabs about Erin. He shook off Abby's hold on him and walked back around his desk, taking his seat.

Abby gave him a big grin, pulling out the invitation out of her purse. "The first movie that I'm acting in is about to premiere and I want you to be my date and walk the red carpet with me." Abby placed the billing for the movie on his desk, along with his ticket. "All the press is going to be there for this." Jay barely glanced over the ticket. "Jay, I was also thinking that we could make our official debut as a couple too? Think of all the press we'll get. It'll be great for my career and your company."

"I'm busy." Jay replied shortly, his eyes focused on his work.

Abby pouted. "But you didn't even check the date."

"I don't need to," Jay stated. "Consider me busy every night when it comes to you. We're done."

"What?" Abby croaked, "What do you mean we're done? What about the premiere? Or the award ceremony you were going to take me to tomorrow night?"

Jay pressed his lips together, finally glancing up at Abby. "What part of we're done here that you didn't understand? That means the arrangement between is over. Now please get out of my office."

"Jay Halstead!" Abby cried. "You can't just dismiss me like that!"

"Actually I can," Jay confirmed. "See, I put up with you even though you're easily the most annoying woman I have ever known because at least you brought something to the table, just like I do for you. But now I find out that you're having delusions about our relationship here. We're not a couple Abby, we never were. We're merely a transaction. A beneficial arrangement where being seen together every so often brings us the press and publicity that you need for your career and I need for my company. That is the extent of our relationship."

"Jay, you really don't feel anything for me?" Abby asked, holding onto Jay's arms. "After all this time I mean nothing to you?"

Jay brushed her off. "Let me make myself absolutely clear here. Whatever little good feelings I could possibly have about you had gone out the window when I saw the way you treated Erin."

"You're dumping me because of her? Your secretary?"

"Pretty much," Jay answered. "Unlike you, she's actually important to me. Now get out of my office."

Abby gasped, unable to believe that she was being tossed to the side for someone like Erin. She clutched her purse strap angrily and started to walk out of his office. "Abby," Jay called, Abby turning back immediately, thinking that Jay changed his mind. "Don't leave trash in my office," Jay said, holding up her ticket. Abby huffed, harshly grabbing the ticket out of his hand before slamming the door, leaving his office in a huff.

* * *

Erin glared at the intercom, like doing so at the inanimate object could somehow make its way through to the actual object of her anger— Jay. She was still pissed at the way she was treated by Abby and Jay last night. She guessed she was being stupid, expecting Jay to actually stand up for her. If anything, he probably enjoyed seeing Abby looking down on Erin, enjoying Erin being knocked down a peg. She guessed she should've been counting herself lucky that he hadn't made her apologize to Abby. Otherwise she would've quit, there was no way she was going to apologize to someone like that, especially when she didn't do anything wrong and she was the one that was pushed by her.

The intercom buzzed, Erin groaning as she made her way inside his office. "Yes ." She greeted him, keeping all emotions out of her voice.

If he had noticed the way she called him Mr. Halstead instead of Jay like he told her to, he didn't show it. "I need you to set up a dinner for me and Ally."

"Ally?" she asked, making sure that she wasn't hearing it wrong.

"Yeah Ally," he confirmed, giving her a look like she was stupid. "Ally Corson. I'm taking her to the award show tonight but we're having dinner first." He rolled his eyes, like the idea of taking his date out to dinner was so troublesome to him. '_Pig'_, Erin said to herself.

"Sure, Mr. Halstead," Erin replied. "I'll take care of everything."

* * *

"Hi Trudy. Can you help me with something?" Erin asked the silver haired woman. "Mr. Halstead asked me to set up a dinner for him and his date for tonight and I'm just not exactly sure what he's looking for."

"Oh ho," Trudy chuckled. "You're lucky you came to me first about this." Trudy leaned forward on her desk, beckoning Erin to get closer with her finger. Erin leaned in. "The most important thing you should know is that these dates are just arrangement— a formality— for Jay. He brings these women to these events, they both get their pictures taken by paparazzis, blah blah blah both get their pictures in the papers and magazines. But some of these women think that there could be something more, like they're actually dating. Who's he having dinner with tonight?"

"Ally Corson."

Trudy laughed. "Oh, yeah she's one of those. She has been after Jay for the longest time, thinking that if she hangs around long enough he might suddenly realize one day that she's his dream woman. Fat chance of that. I'm surprised that he's even taking her. He can't stand her, not that that's saying much. He can't stand most people," Trudy laughed at her own joke. "Okay here's what you do. Make the dinner unromantic as possible, so there is no way in hell Ally could mistaken it for a real date. Make a reservation at Olive's and Fig's, inside not outside with all the lights. They have an event to attend to after right?" Erin nodded. "Okay so make the reservation close to the event time so they barely have enough to get in, eat and get out. Not a lot of time to talk and chat. Make sure you give all the details to Antonio, his driver, so he knows where to take them to."

"Okay, thanks Trudy. You've been a big help."

* * *

"Wow Jay, this restaurant is so romantic!" Ally gushed as she looked around the dimly lit Italian restaurant. Jay frowning as he looked around the place, wondering why the hell Antonio had taken them here instead of the usual place. "You've never taken me here before."

Jay groaned inwardly, seeing the look inside Ally's eyes like this date was different from the times before. Really, all he wanted was to eat, go to the event and go home. Get in and get out. "Let's order." Jay gave Ally a menu, hoping that the quicker they order, the quicker they can finish with dinner.

"Welcome Mr. Halstead and Ms. Corson," the manager of the restaurant came over, greeting them happily. "I'm Michael, the manager. We hear this is your first time here! We're so glad to have you join us for dinner. Now don't worry, your lovely assistant has arranged for everything tonight so please just enjoy the romantic dinner. What a lovely couple."

Jay was speechless, unable to form a response at the manager had told them. Meanwhile, Ally on the other side of the table was beaming, thinking that Jay had his assistant arrange everything for her.

"You're too sweet Jay," Ally reached over across the table to hold Jay's hand. "I can't believe you've done all this."

Before Jay could protest that he didn't, a violinist and a waiter came over to the table. "For the lovely lady," the waiter said, handing Ally a big bouquet of red roses. "Courtesy of the gentleman," the waiter said, pointing at Jay.

"And a romantic song to accompany you this evening," the violinist announced before delving into a song. Ally let out a happy sigh, burying her nose into the floral arrangement to smell the roses.

"You're amazing Jay," Ally said. "I was working up the nerve to talk to you about taking our relationship to the next level but you've beaten me to it. Arranging this romantic dinner, the roses and the violinist. I guess this is your way of telling me that you want the same too." Ally stood up from her seat, coming over to Jay. "Yes Jay, Let's become an official couple!" Ally shouted gleefully as she dropped herself down on Jay's lap, her arms around his neck as she laid a big kiss on his lips.

* * *

_Bang! Bang! Bang!_

Erin fell off the couch at the loud noise, her empty bottle of beer she had on her lap rolling onto the ground, landing next to the coffee table. She groaned, her heart beating fast after being suddenly woken up by the loud knocks on her door.

The knocks continued, Erin wondering just who was banging on her door at this time of the night. She looked around her apartment, hoping to find something to use as a weapon just in case it was someone looking for trouble like Jimmy. She picked up the empty bottle of beer, ready to use it as a weapon as she inched towards her door, slowly looking out the peephole.

"Jay?"

On the other side of the closed door was her boss, looking pissed off as he repeatedly banged on her door. She wondered what he was doing at her door instead of being at the award show with Ally like he was supposed to be. She swung the door open a little, poking her head out.

"Jay, what are you doing here?"

Jay was fuming, only in his button down shirt, a couple of buttons opened and he was holding his blazer in his hands. "You!" Jay pointed accusingly at Erin. "You did that on purpose didn't you?"

Erin licked her lips, opening the door wider. "What are you talking about?" she asked, feigning innocence. Judging from the way he was reacting, it seemed as though her plan to mess with him worked. "I thought you were supposed to be at dinner and the award show. Did something happen?"

"Yeah you did!" Jay shot back. "You did all that on purpose."

"I have no idea what you mean. I just set up a dinner for you and Ally. I thought she'd enjoy the flowers and the music."

He narrowed his eyes at her, clearly not believing her lies. "Drop it. Trudy told me that you came to her and she specifically told you what to do. Only you did everything opposite of what she said. Do you even know what kind of mess you almost got me into? Your plan had Ally thinking that I actually wanted a relationship with her. I had to pry her off of me before running out of the restaurant."

"You left the poor girl there?" Erin asked. "I can't believe it. Wait what about the award show? Aren't you supposed to be there right now?

"Well I wouldn't have had to if you didn't decide to screw me over on purpose! There's no way I was going to spend the next three hour next to her after that." Jay retorted.

"Shh!" Erin shushed him, darting her eyes back and forth at the hallway, making sure her nosy neighbors didn't hear Jay's loud shouts. "If you're going to continue to yell at me, then come in before my neighbors decide to call the cops!"

Jay followed her inside her apartment, Erin placing the empty beer bottle back on the coffee table.

"So you admit it then," Jay immediately resumed, tossing his blazer onto her couch. "You did that on purpose."

"Okay," Erin admitted. "Yes I did it on purpose to screw with you but only because you screwed with me first!"

"What?"

"Oh please," Erin scoffed. "I know you only hired me because you wanted to mess with me and get your little revenge for being bullied in high school."

Jay's anger deflated at her statement. "Oh." He sighed, looking down. "How did you find out?"

"So you admit it?" Erin asked, bending her head down to catch his eyes. "That's why you hired me?"

"Maybe," Jay reluctantly admitted. He sighed, tossing his head back. "How long have you known? Who told you?"

"No one told me. I started to put the pieces together ever since Will came to your office and I found out that you went to St. Ignatius' too." She sat on the arms of her couch, crossing her arms. Since they were at her apartment, she felt more confident than she would've been had they been in his office. This was her territory, she felt safe here. "Did you have fun messing with me, getting revenge on me?"

"I didn't.." Jay started to deny but Erin shot him a look. "Okay fine. I will admit that revenge had been on my mind in the beginning but it hasn't been for a while now." Erin's eyebrow shot up in surprise. "It's just...high school was not a good time for me and I thought that if I get revenge, I'd feel better."

"Do you?"

"No," Jay replied immediately. "Didn't lessen the pain."

Erin sighed, her stance towards him softening. She walked over to her kitchen and grabbed both of them beer, handing a bottle over to him. He was still standing in her living room while she retook her seat on the arm of her couch.

"I guess I owe you an apology," Erin began. "I'm sorry that you were bullied in high school or if I hurt you. High school….it wasn't a good time for me either." Jay gave her a look. "I know you think that I had it easy because I was part of the popular crowd but I had my own shit to deal with." He took a sip of his beer, accepting her apology. "I'm also sorry for setting you up tonight with Ally."

He looked at her before sighing. "I'm sorry too," he started. "For being especially difficult when you first started working for me."

Erin nodded, accepting his apology. "Look Jay, for whatever reason you hired me, I actually love my job and not just because I need the money and the pay is amazing. I like working for you and I don't want to mess it up."

"You have a funny way of showing it," Jay shot back.

Erin chuckled. "I will admit that I should've been more mature about everything but I don't know," she shrugged. "I've spent my whole life keeping my head down, trying not to make waves until I learned to stand up for myself. I know it was stupid trying to get back at you, knowing it could mess up my job but…"

"Wait, tonight wasn't the first time?" Jay asked surprised. "Which other time?" A light bulb went off in Jay's head. "That time with that thai food?"

"Hey! You were the reason why I was stuck for an hour in the basement with that guy and what has got to be the worst b.o in the world!" They both looked at each other before both of them broke out into laughter at the image. "I'm not admitting to anything else." She held her beer bottle out. "Truce? Start over?" He clinked his beer bottle with her, agreeing to the truce.

"Fresh start," Jay said, agreeing to new beginnings.

A little while later, they were sitting side by side on her couch, feet up on the coffee table.

"I still can't believe you just left her at the restaurant there," Erin said. "I feel bad for her."

"What else was I supposed to do?" Jay retorted. "Actually agree to the relationship?"

"Would that have been so bad?" Jay shot her a look, shuddering at the thought. Erin chuckled. "Still I feel bad now. I've never met Ally but she actually seemed nice. If it had been Abby then that's another thing. I would've been there hiding in the next booth just to see her reaction." She turned to him on the couch. "I thought Abby was supposed to be your date for the award show? I remembered seeing her name on the guest list last week."

"Yeah Abby, you don't have to worry about her anymore." Erin frowned, waiting for Jay to clarify his vague statement. "I dumped her last night." He caught her giving him a surprised look from the corner of his eyes. "It's just...she's more trouble than she's worth so don't think that I dumped her because of what she did to you or anything," Jay avoided her gaze, even though it was written all over his face that it was clearly the reason why he dumped Abby.

Erin smiled knowingly. "Of course," she replied, catching the hint of smile on his lips and a hint of blush that began to form on his face. "I wouldn't dare."

* * *

"It's going to be okay," Erin reassured Jay for the umpteenth time already as they sat side by side in the large conference room, waiting for the son of the Chicago Bears CEO to make his appearance.

"Yeah, I know." Jay was fidgeting in his seat, his feet restless. "It's just….this is our first venture into this sector and it's important that things go smoothly as possible. It's the freaking Bears Erin. If we get a deal with them, then it's only a matter of time before we can get the Cubs to sign on with us too."

"You'll do great!" Erin replied. "You've worked so hard on the proposal and they're going to see your vision and what you can do for them. And trust me, the Bears need all the help they could get." Jay nodded, letting Erin's words comfort him. She wasn't expecting to be in the meeting with him, thinking it was above her paygrade but he had insisted, asking her to sit in. She had easily accepted, touched that he trusted her enough to be in the important meeting and she was even more glad now that she was here to calm his nerves.

Finally the door to the conference room opened, an elder man walking in, different from who they had been expecting. They stood up to greet him, shaking his hands. "I know you were expecting to meet with my son but I hope I didn't disappoint you by being here instead."

"Not at all Mr. Phillps," Jay responded, even though Erin could tell that Jay was flustered, having been caught off guard by the unexpected change. "I'm honored to meet you actually."

Mr. Phillips nodded, taking the seat at the head of the conference table. "I have to admit Jay, I'm an old fashioned man. I love the game of football and the traditions that are instilled in the sport like the good old days of just throwing the pigskin around. My son has been pushing me to embrace the changes, this so-called analytics movement that seemed to have taken over the sport. I'm not entirely convinced so it's up to you to change my mind, wow me."

Jay cleared his throat, starting the presentation he prepared for the meeting. Erin could tell by Mr. Phillip's reaction that Jay was losing him, the older man too set in his old ways and too unfamiliar with all the cutting edge technology to consider big changes that Jay was proposing. Jay continued to present his proposal but was losing confidence with every minute that went by.

"So," Jay asked after finishing his proposal. "What do you think?"

Mr. Phillips sat up straighter, lacing his fingers together. "I'm not too sure. Seems to be a lot of drastic changes. I'm afraid that it might change the essence of the game if we're bringing too much technology into it." Jay nodded, accepting the feedback. "I don't think I'm convinced Mr. Halstead."

Jay sighed. "I understand. If you could just give us another chance to convince you again," Mr. Phillips held up his hand, shaking his head.

Erin's heart tugged at seeing the defeated expression on Jay's face. She knew just how hard Jay had worked on his proposal, staying past late in his office, trying to get everything perfect. It wasn't fair that he was pretty much ambushed with a change in who he was meeting with at the last meeting.

"Mr. Phillips," Erin interrupted just as they were about to be dismissed. "I understand that you are a traditionalist at heart. You love the game of football at its essence. I'm right there with you. You know I was born right on the day when the Bears won the Superbowl in '85? My dad almost missed the game when my mom went into labor but she delivered me earlier than expected like I wasn't missing the Bears win the Superbowl."

"Really?"

"Yeah," Erin laughed. "My nickname growing up was Buddy. That was what my family called me, in honor of the great coach Buddy of course." Mr. Phillips chuckled. "So I'm right there with you about the whole keeping things the same, keeping football true to itself."

"Then you understand where I'm coming from."

"I do. But I do know that it would be amazing to see the Bears win another Superbowl. Wouldn't it be? To see Coach Nagy hoist up that Lombardi, the parade on the streets in Downtown? How awesome would that be right?"

Mr. Phillips nodded. "It's all I've been dreaming about since '85, my dear."

"Then you should do whatever it takes to make that dream come true. Make sure that the Bears have every advantage possible. As much as you and I would love to keep things the same, times are changing. Every other team out there is utilizing analytics to get the most efficient results. If the Bears don't start adapting to the changes, then we'll be left behind. And I know you don't want that to happen." She saw the cogs turning in Mr. Phillips' head, thinking over her words. She had one more kill shot to use. "Besides, Jay here is amazing. He has all the latest tech and ideas that will blow whatever the Dallas Cowboys do out of the water. I don't know about you but I'm pretty sick and tired of the Cowboys acting like they're ahead of the curve. They won't be saying "keeping up with the Jones anymore". They'll be keeping up with you instead, Mr. Phillips." The old man smirked at that, Erin hitting the bullseyes with appealing to the idea of getting one over on Jerry Jones and the Cowboys.

"Perhaps I've been too hasty," Mr. Phillips said. "Why don't we set up another meeting Mr. Halstead? My son and I can discuss with you more on your ideas and how soon we can start implementing them."

Jay looked flabbergasted at the sudden change of answer, shaking Mr. Phillip's hands happily. "Of course. That sounds great. Thank you."

"You have an amazing woman right there," Mr. Phillips said, gesturing to Erin. "Don't let this one go." He hugged Erin before making his exit.

"Ah!" Erin cheered happily when they were alone again, Jay pulling her into a hug and lifting her off the ground, spinning her around. "I told you everything would work out."

"It was all thanks to you!" Jay said, pulling her into another hug. "You did this! You were amazing! Were all those things you said about the Bears true?"

"Pssh," Erin tossed her head back. "Of course not. Why would a little girl's nickname be 'Buddy'? I'm not a dog."

"So you just came up with all that on the spot?"

"I needed to tell him something to get to him to actually listen right?" Jay nodded, agreeing with her. "I told you that with me by your side, you can't go wrong." Erin smiled, her dimples showing. Jay held her gaze, staring at her so intensely that Erin was unable to look away.

"Yeah," he whispered, his face splitting into a blinding smile, Erin's heart quickening at the sight. "I can't go wrong. As long as I have you."

* * *

"Hi Annie," Erin spoke into her phone as she waited for Jay to come back. Ever since he had gotten the Bears account, they had been hard at work for the next meeting with them, trying to brainstorm more ideas to blow the Bears owners out of the water even more. They had been tossing ideas back and forth with one another in Jay's office until Erin's stomach started growling and Jay insisted on taking a break for dinner, his treat.

He had even placed the order himself and had gone to get the food when the delivery man had arrived, leaving Erin in his office on the sofa.

"Yeah, I got Caitlin's text," Erin continued her conversation. "I checked the ticket prices and I can't believe how expensive they were. Even the nosebleed seats were like over $200. There's no way I could afford that." Erin let out a sad sigh. "Looks like no matter how much I want to, I won't be able to see Bruno live." Her favorite singer, Bruno Mars, was having a concert in Chicago and she was excited to finally see him live in person until she saw the ticket prices. With more than half of her salary going to her mom to repay Jimmy, there was no way she could afford the ticket. "Yeah, I want to," she whined to her friend on the phone who was trying to convince her to go. "It's freaking Bruno, you know how much I love him but I just can't afford it." She sighed. "Maybe next time huh?" Jay returned, carrying the bag with food. "Oh Annie, I have to go. Tell Caitlin sorry. The two of you have fun okay? Bye."

Jay placed the food on the table, Erin opening it to take out the containers. "Thai?" She was reminded of the last time she had ordered Thai food for Jay, making it extra spicy to mess with him. Suddenly she became hesitant to eat the food especially since he was the one that placed the order and had accepted it from the delivery man.

"Here," she handed Jay the container, waiting for him to take the first bite. Jay pushed the container back to her.

"No that one is for you. It's my treat." Erin gave him a small smile, uncertainty written all over her face. "Go ahead, it's the place you ordered from the last time."

"I insist," Erin said, handing him the container right back. "You're the boss. You should eat first."

Jay shot her a strange look at the weird way she was acting. "Do you think I messed with your food or something?" he asked, realizing what was going on. Erin shook her head, denying it but Jay saw right through her. "I thought we said fresh start, didn't we? Do...do you not trust me?"

"I do!" Erin immediately replied, hearing the hurt in Jay's voice. "I do," she repeated. "I just...I'm being silly. I'm sorry." Jay nodded, that look of hurt still on his face. One that Erin wanted to get rid of so she grabbed the food from his hand and took a bite, showing him that she trusted him. "Mmm, it's good." She took a couple of more bites, savoring the taste. Jay just shook his head, chuckling fondly at her.

"Alright give me some of that pad thai," Jay said, reaching for the container as the two of them enjoyed the food in his office.

* * *

"Erin," She turned and found Antonio standing by the door of the kitchen, looking uncomfortable.

"Hi Antonio," she greeted Jay's trusty driver who accompanied him almost everywhere. He entered the break room, holding up an envelope. "What's up?" she asked, wondering what was wrong with him and why he looked so nervous.

"Um, I came into some concert tickets and I'm not going to use them so I thought you could use them." He handed the envelope over to her, Erin giving him a strange look as she opened the envelope to pull the tickets out, only to find three VIP tickets to the Bruno Mars concert she had been dying to go to.

"Oh my god!" Erin shouted, unable to believe what she was holding in her hands. "Bruno Mars!? Antonio! Do you realize how much these tickets cost?" The front row VIP tickets were easily over $800 each, a meet and greet with the singer included and Erin couldn't believe that she was holding three of them in her palms. "Are you sure about this? These are really great seats and he's an amazing singer!"

Antonio nodded. "Yeah, I don't even know who he is."

"Where did you get these anyway?"

"Umm.." Antonio stammered, trying to find his words. "A friend of mine….he umm..he didn't want them so he gave them to me. And I'm giving them to you. Have fun!"

"Oh thank you thank you thank you!" Erin squealed happily, hugging the man. "You are awesome!" Antonio chuckled, enjoying her reaction as he left the room. Erin immediately got on her phone, ready to share the great news with her friends. "Annie! You won't believe what I have in my hands right now!" she nearly screamed into her phone.

* * *

The concert was even more amazing than Erin thought it'd be. She was having a blast with her girlfriends as she sung and danced along to every song of Bruno Mars, coming so close to the singer as he soulfully belted out her favorite songs on stage. He had been amazing live and Erin couldn't get enough, still unable to believe that she had lucked out enough to have gotten front row tickets for free. It was amazing to have a night out with her girlfriends, carefree and not have to worry about anything.

"That was fucking awesome!" Annie shouted as the three of them made their way backstage for the next portion of the VIP package, a meet and greet with the singer himself. She couldn't actually believe that after hearing him sing live, she was about to come face to face with him and actually shake his hands.

"I don't know what you did to get these tickets Erin but I don't care! Because these are easily the best seats I've ever gotten in my life," Caitlin gushed. They entered the small room where a small crowd had gathered around and they stood in line, waiting for the meet and greet to start and for them to get their turn with the star.

"Erin!" She heard her name being called so she turned around to find herself being lifted off the ground by inebriated Adam who seemed like the happiest drunk.

"Hi Adam," Erin hugged the man back, smelling the alcohol on his breath. "I didn't know you were a Bruno fan."

"Oh the biggest!" Adam said. "I wasn't going to miss seeing him. No matter what Halstead was going to pay me for the tickets."

Erin frowned. "What do you mean? Jay likes Bruno Mars too?"

"He wanted to buy my tickets off of me, said he'd paid me triple the price. Said he needed three tickets for a gift." Adam looked at her friends, seeing the three of them standing together. "I guess they were for you then huh? I guess he bought them off of someone else, must've paid a fortune for them too."

Erin stood there speechless. Her tickets were from Jay and not Antonio? That would explain the strange way Antonio was acting when he gave her the tickets. Erin recalled talking with Annie on the phone when she had dinner with Jay. He must've overheard her complaining to Annie about wanting to see Bruno live but unable to afford the tickets. He had gotten not only her but her friends the tickets. She was unable to control the smile taking over her face at the information that Jay had been sweet enough to get her this without her asking, her heart filling with warmth at his sweet gesture.

* * *

She knew he would still be here, having seen the lights in his office from outside. She was happy that he was still here though because she needed to see him. She needed to thank him for the tickets, let him know just how much she appreciated the gesture even though he obviously didn't need credit for it, letting her think the tickets were from Antonio instead of him.

She knocked on the door softly before opening it, finding Jay on the sofa in his office, his sleeves rolled up and the glasses on his face again. He looked surprised to see her, his eyes scanning up and down her body as if he was worried that something had happened to her.

"Erin, what are you doing here?" She held up the bag of food she was holding in her hand.

"I knew you'd still be here, working on the Bears account. And If I know you then I'm guessing you probably still haven't eaten yet right?" Jay nodded, confirming her thoughts. "So I'm here with food."

She joined him on the sofa, taking off the leather jacket she was wearing.

"I thought you'd still be at the concert." Erin tilted her head at him, asking him with her eyes how he knew she was supposed to be a concert. "I mean," Jay caught his mistake, clearing his throat. "Antonio mentioned that he gave you some tickets to a concert," he added, trying to cover his mistake.

"Jay, I know the tickets came from you," she told him. "Thank you. And this is my way of thanking you for them. I know how hard it is to get those tickets, not to mention how expensive they were."

"How did you know?"

"I have my ways," Erin shrugged. "Why didn't you just tell me they were from you?"

Jay let out an exhale. "I guess...I thought you wouldn't have accepted them if you knew that they came from me." Erin frowned, wondering why he'd thought that. "I know we haven't gotten off on the right foot from the start and you might have thought that I had ulterior motives if I just gave you the tickets. I just wanted you to enjoy the concert, worry-free, not looking over your shoulders that I might have something planned up my sleeves."

"I don't," Erin reassured him. "I mean, I wouldn't have thought that. I was serious when I said I trust you, completely." He nodded, accepting her words. Their eyes were locked, both of them unable to take their eyes off each other, soft smiles on their faces.

"Um," Jay finally broke the contact to look down at his watch. "The concert is already over? How was the meet and greet?"

"I don't know," Erin shrugged. "I kinda left before the meet and greet." The question of why was clear on Jay's face. "I wanted to be here more than to meet Bruno Mars."

"Yeah?" Jay asked, his voice soft. "You ditched Bruno Mars for me?" he teased.

Erin rolled her eyes. "Aren't you touched?" she shot back.

He leaned in so their faces were just inches apart, his smoldering gaze pulling Erin in. "Very," he drawled, his voice low and seductive. Erin felt herself flush at the close proximity with Jay, biting her lips, feeling Jay's eyes drift down to her lips at the action. Suddenly the normally cold room felt hotter, the temperature going up from the heat between the two people on the couch.

Even though it was hard, Erin managed to finally pull away from him, turning her attention to the food she brought him. "We should probably eat before the food gets cold," she said, her voice not sounding as steady as she'd hoped. "Don't worry, I didn't mess with the food this time so you can eat in peace."

He laughed, thanking her for the food with a smile. She scooted closer to him to get a closer look at his laptop and the pages he had strewn around on the coffee table. "How's it coming along?"

Jay shrugged. "Slowly, I guess."

"Well I'm here now so you can rest assured." Erin teased, picking up the paper on the table to get a closer read.

He was still looking at her, a soft in his eyes. "Well I'm lucky to have you by my side then." She brought her head up to meet his eyes, feeling the atmosphere between them changing. Things had been changing between them for the past few weeks, especially since they had cleared the air and agreed to start over fresh and each day, she felt more and more of that pull towards him. She shook her head slightly, snapping herself out of her thoughts. She didn't know what she was thinking. This was her boss and even though they had gotten past their rocky beginnings, it was still her boss. There was no reason why she should be thinking of him in that way, no matter how good looking he was.

"Wow, you've gotten a lot done." Erin scrolled through the pages on the laptop, eyes scanning through the ideas Jay had come up with. It was obvious that this project was quickly becoming Jay's baby since he had spent so much of his time and energy on it.

"What do you think?" he asked her. She turned to look at him, seeing a hint of nerves in his eyes. She was taken aback by how much he seemed to care about her thoughts about it, like it mattered to him. Like her contribution to the project even though she was just his personal assistant was important.

"They look great," Erin reassured him, Jay letting out an exhale at her reply. "I really like the idea of this V.R thing where fans can take pictures with the players. I've seen something similar from the Cowboys but you've taken it to another step by making it more accessible around the city. It's going to just increase the popularity for the team."

"The technology for V.R have so much more room for improvements and I'm really focusing on that. If we do this right, we can offer the fans a much more authentic experience than just seeing the players on a screen." Erin listened intently as Jay continued on and on, displaying his full passion for his work. She didn't realize how attractive it was to watch a man when he was passionate about something, the pure joy on his face as he explained to her all the features he was thinking of including was mesmerizing.

"Everything sounds really great Jay. But you should take it easy. You've been pushing yourself, staying past late to work on this. You're going to make yourself sick."

"You're worried about me?" Jay asked, teasing her.

"Of course," she replied easily, as if it was just a matter of fact. "I'm your personal assistant. I'm supposed to watch out for your well-being and cater to your every needs." Jay's mouth parted slightly at her last statement. "I mean, professionally of course." Erin quickly corrected, not wanting Jay to get the wrong idea.

He let out a small laugh. "Professionally, of course."

The room was getting hot again, Erin pulling her shirt slightly from her chest to fan herself. Had there always been so much tension between the two? Erin took a sip of water to cool herself down and turned her body away from Jay. She needed some space so she could get a grip on herself. She brought his laptop onto her lap so she could look at his work without having to lean into his space. "Let's see what else you have." She hoped that by focusing on work instead, she wouldn't think so much about how much she wanted to kiss him right now.

* * *

Jay stirred from his position, his eyes starting to flutter before opening. He blinked a couple of times rapidly, adjusting to the stream of sunlight that was coming in through his office windows. He squinted, the bright light hurting his eyes before he adjusted to it. He lifted his hand up to look at his watch, finding out that it was already past eight in the morning. He wiped the sleep from his eyes before noticing the weight on his shoulder, shifting his head and glancing down to find Erin draped over him, his blazer covering her, keeping her warm. His right arm where she laid asleep was dead but he didn't want to move and disturb her. Instead he took the opportunity to study her. She really hadn't changed much from high school— still beautiful as he remembered her being. Maybe even more so today as her darker hair brought out her features more and made her more striking from the lighter hair she had back in the days. One thing certainly hadn't changed though, he noticed as she moved her mouth in her sleep, her dimples making their appearance from the movement. They were the same dimples, accompanying alongside the same smile he fell in love with in high school.

He remembered the day clearly. The day where she came into his life and claimed her position in his heart.

_It was the beginning of Junior year, Jay dreading another school year where he'd surely be bullied and ignored. Actually he didn't mind being ignored much, kids pretending as though he didn't exist. At least he could be in peace then. It was when the attention from the popular kids fell on him that he hated— them finding amusement in making sure he knew just how big of a loser and weirdo he was. _

_He was putting his books in his locker when he was shoved from the back, his head colliding with the door of his locker, knocking his glasses off his nose. He heard Landon's loud laughter as the popular kids strolled down the hallway like they owned it, stopping at Will's locker. Jay shifted his glasses back onto his face, slamming the locker shut and watched in anger as the crowd gathered around Will. His brother had seen the whole thing happening, judging by the looks he was sending Jay's way but as usual, he did nothing to defend his flesh and blood. Not that Jay was expecting anything different, his brother had made it clear when Jay started at the same high school as Will that no one was to find out that they were related. It didn't matter to Jay anyway, it wasn't as though they were close anyway. Hell, Mouse was more of a brother to Jay than Will ever was._

_Jay strapped his backpack and turned to head to his homeroom, almost slamming into a girl. He managed to stop himself before colliding with her, her arms reaching out to steady him. Jay looked up and found himself looking at the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. _

"_Are you okay? I'm so sorry!" She looked apologetic and concerned about almost colliding into him. _

"_Um yeah yeah I'm fine," Jay managed to get out without sounding like a fool. "Are you?" _

"_Yeah," she smiled, her dimples striking Jay straight in the heart. She was like an angel to him. "I'm sorry," she apologized again. "It's just my first day here so I was looking for my locker and wasn't really looking at where I was going."_

"_It's okay. I wasn't really looking at where I was going either." Jay took a chance, wanting to continue his conversation with her. "Um, what number is your locker? I can help you."_

"_Oh thank you. It's locker 214." _

"_Yeah I know where that is. I'll take you there if you want?" The girl nodded, following Jay as he led her to the locker._

"_I'm Erin Lindsay by the way." Before Jay could introduce himself, he was pushed, falling to the ground in an ungraceful heap. _

"_Get out of our way loser!" he heard one of Will's friends shouted as they stepped over him and continued down the hallway. _

"_Hey!" Erin shouted at their back, obviously angry at what they did. She turned back to Jay, crouching down to help him up. "Are you okay?" _

"_Yeah yeah," Jay replied, avoiding her gaze, embarrassed about what happened in front of her. He gathered himself and stood up, ready to make his exit. "Um there's your locker," he said, pointing to the locker a few feet down. "I got to go."_

"_Wait!" Erin stopped him, grabbing his arm. "Um you're bleeding." She pointed to his nose, Jay touching it and found it wet with blood coming out. "Here." She took out a tissue from her backpack and handed it to him. "Are you sure you're okay? Maybe you should go see the nurse? I can go with you?" _

_Jay stuffed the tissue in his nose to stop the bleeding, still avoiding her eyes. It was humiliating for him, Erin not only having seen just how big of a loser he was in school but now he was bleeding in front of her. "I'll be fine. I'm gonna go!" He didn't wait to listen to what else she had to say. All he knew was that he needed to get out of there. _

"_Thank you!" she shouted after him, making sure he heard her before he took refuge in the boys' bathroom. He looked at himself in the mirror, chastising himself for not being able to stand up for himself properly. The bleeding stopped after awhile, Jay rinsing his nose and his hand off. He was embarrassed about what had happened. He met this beautiful girl, Erin, and she didn't run screaming away from him nor turned her nose at him. She was nice and caring, making her even more beautiful to him. Maybe Jay could see her again, start over fresh and get to know her better. _

_But the next time he saw Erin Lindsay, it had already been too late. She was surrounded by Stephanie and her crew, Landon hanging around them. Erin had already been accepted by the popular kids and was now one of them and Jay knew there was no way he could compete with that._

Jay's attention turned back to Erin when she shifted in his arms, her eyes opening and meeting his blue ones looking down at hers, hazel meeting blue.

"Good morning," he said softly, his voice rough with sleep but his eyes were smiling.

"Morning," she returned back, sounding even more raspy. Jay thought of just how lucky he was to receive her word of the day, Erin sounding even better in the morning. "I guess we fell asleep last night."

Jay nodded, neither of them making a move to sit up. She was in his arm, leaning into his side and her palm on his chest. "Yeah I guess so."

"What time is it?" she asked, yawning a little. He laughed, enjoying the sight of her first thing in the morning. Less put together but somehow even more beautiful. A strand of her hair fell onto her forehead, covering her eye. He brought his free hand up to tuck it behind her ear, his fingers lingering on her skin. "Jay."

"It's a little past eight," he finally managed to reply, Erin nodding. Still neither of them made to move, not wanting to break the moment between them. Instead they kept their eyes on each other, soft smiles on both of their faces. Jay chanced a glance down at her lips, pink and full in the morning and he wanted to do nothing more than kiss them. Her eyes were regarding him with a mixture of nerves and excitement, like she was daring him to make the move. He was sure she must've felt his heart beating faster by the minute underneath her palm, his head leaning in closer to her, Erin biting her lip in anticipation.

"Ah ha! I knew you'd still be here!" Mouse shouted loudly as he abruptly opened the office door, stopping in his tracks when he saw Jay and Erin's compromising position on the sofa. They immediately pulled apart at his sudden intrusion, their faces flushed at having been caught. "Shit! Sorry!" Mouse quickly apologized but he knew he had already done his damage.

"It's okay," Erin replied, sitting up and pulling Jay's blazer that was draped over her away and setting it back on the sofa. "Um...I'm gonna go…"

Jay cleared his throat, not really knowing how to act. "Um yeah sure," he replied weakly. Erin kept her head down, unable to meet Mouse's eyes as he stood in the doorway. "Erin," Jay called out, Erin pausing in the doorway but not turning around. "Um, just take today off. You've been up all night so get some sleep."

"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow then." With that, she quickly left, leaving the two best friends alone.

"I'm sorry man." Mouse immediately offered, Jay sending daggers with his eyes at Mouse. "I didn't know she was going to be here!"

Jay stood up, walked over to the small fridge he kept in the office to get a bottle of water, downing it to get rid of the dryness in his throat. "What are you doing here Mouse? Besides ruining my morning."

"I said I'm sorry. How was I supposed to know Erin was going to be here?" Mouse defended himself. "What was she doing here anyway?"

"Working."

Mouse scoffed. "Yeah sure." He stepped closer to Jay, studying his best friend's face. "What did I walk in on?"

"Nothing," Jay retorted, rubbing his face. "We were working late last night and fell asleep."

"Uh huh," Mouse said, knowing there was more to that than Jay was letting on. "Because it looked like if I hadn't walked in here and interrupted you, you guys would've been making out on the sofa." Jay shot him a glare but Mouse wasn't intimidated by his friend. "Seriously Jay. What are you doing?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I mean, are you still on your revenge mission and playing with this girl's feelings or…" Mouse paused, gauging Jay's reaction. "Do you have genuine feelings for her again?" Jay dropped his eyes but not before Mouse caught the look in his eyes. Jay had fallen for Erin again. He didn't need to say it, Mouse saw it in his eyes. "Oh man. You poor bastard." Mouse patted Jay's back, amused that his friend had not only failed at his plan to get revenge on Erin, he had fallen for her again. It was nice to see Jay display genuine feelings for a woman. Mouse had been worried that Jay would've continued on his life with his heart closed off towards anything real with a woman. Jay was too great of a guy and had a lot to offer to a woman to spend the rest of his life alone, bitter and jaded by what happened to him in high school. It was just ironic that the woman that seemed to have thawed his best friend's heart was the same woman that had frozen it in the first place.

"I'm not doing it for revenge," Jay clarified, although he didn't need to. "I haven't been thinking about revenge for the longest time now. I….I just want to be around her, spend time with her."

"That's good."

"Is it?" Jay shot back. "Because I can't stop thinking about her. I'll just be working, focused on my work and suddenly I'll think of her and lose track of what I was doing. I'll be in meetings and I can't pay attention to what the other person is saying because I can only hear her laugh in my head. And I find myself thinking of ways to make her happy just to see her smile. I'm completely losing it man."

Mouse wanted to laugh at his friend's predicament, not having seen this side of Jay in such a long time. He tried to control his amusement but a laugh escaped, Jay darting his head up to shoot him a dirty look.

"Wow, I'm glad that my pain is amusing to you," Jay said sarcastically.

"You'll be okay man," Mouse said, messing up Jay's already messed up bed head. "From what I saw, she looked like she wasn't about to push you away either so maybe this time, you actually have a shot with Erin. For real this time. Not like what happened back then."

Jay faced grew serious, recalling what happened years ago. Suddenly the amusement that Mouse had toward the situation had vanished. He placed his hand on Jay's shoulder and squeezed it, reassuring his friend.

"Jay, that was a long time ago. Whatever happened back then, it's in the past. You're not the same person you were back then. Take another chance. Who knows? Maybe you'll end up actually getting everything you've ever wanted. A chance with Erin."

* * *

Erin needed the distraction and so far, her friends' big genius idea was to get her drunk. But Erin didn't feel like drinking tonight even though they were out at a bar. Her mind was too occupied with what had happened the day before with Jay in his office.

Everytime she closed her eyes, she saw his face inching closer and closer to her, his lips almost on hers. She could smell his cologne, could feel the heat of his body and could hear the thudding of his heart. He was about to kiss her, she was sure of that. And what was more? She wanted to be kissed. Not just because he looked like he'd be an amazing kisser with his pink and inviting lips but because she was sure she was falling for him. Each day she spent around him, she liked him more and more.

She groaned, dropping her head onto the bar. Out of all the people to have fallen for, she had fallen for her boss. He was so out of her league, Erin lamented. Not only was Jay the best looking guy Erin had ever seen with his chiseled features and spellbinding eyes, he was also one of the most eligible bachelors in Chicago. He had swarm of women surrounding him, women that were more beautiful, rich and put-together than Erin. Like the woman Jay was out with right now.

After their almost kiss in his office, Erin was glad to have gotten the day off. There was no way she would have been able to face him that same day after she almost kissed him. She didn't know whether she wanted to hug Mouse in gratitude or kick his ass for interrupting the moment between her and Jay. But what was done was done and Erin was just happy that she had 24 hours to get herself together before she saw Jay again.

They both acted as normal as possible, the awkward tension lingering in the air this morning. Erin had pretended as though nothing was out of place and was grateful when Jay did the same. They were both avoiding each other's eyes, Erin keeping her head down on her iPad as she read off his schedule for the day.

"Lastly, you have that cocktail party at the Art Institute tonight at 9," Erin informed him. "Um...do you want me to make a dinner reservation for you and your date tonight?"

"Oh um," Jay cleared his throat, sitting up straighter in his chair. "I didn't set up a date for tonight." Erin met his eyes. "Um...I was thinking that you…"

"Yeah, I can set up a date for you," Erin immediately cut him off, preempting the words he was about to say. "I'll make the dinner reservation too. I'll follow Trudy's advice this time so don't worry."

Jay nodded stiffly, accepting her suggestion. "Alright."

"If that's all?" Jay nodded again, dismissing her. Erin quickly left his office and took a seat at her chair, putting her hand on her heart, trying to calm it down. She was just glad to have gotten through the first awkward interaction with him.

So Erin had set up the date for Jay and this Sarah Cadbury, the daughter of the Chocolate empire and up and coming actress. Erin could just see the two of them in her mind right now, Sarah on Jay's arm as they fawned over the art, champagne glasses in their hands. Erin tried not to feel jealous, knowing she had no right to.

"Erin, your phone," Annie nudged her with her elbow. Erin snapped out of her own pity party to answer, frowning when she saw Jay's name written across the screen.

"Jay? Is everything okay?"

* * *

"Thank you for getting me out of there," Jay said as he closed the car door.

"What are assistants for, if not to make up fake work emergencies and get their bosses out of bad dates right?" Erin joked. Jay had called her, almost begging her through the phone to get him out of the bad date. Apparently, Sarah Cadbury who looked and sounded perfectly normal on the paper was anything but in real life. And Jay, not wanting to come across badly in front of the other businessmen and tycoons at the charity event, couldn't just ditch her like he did to Ally. So Erin came in, frantic with a work emergency that needed Jay's attention immediately and had whisked him away, Jay apologizing profusely to the heiress for the sudden change in plan.

"Since you were the one that set up the date, you did owe me," Jay shot back.

"Alright. Take this as my apology."

"No," Jay shook his head. "You have no idea what I had to put up with tonight. This isn't enough. How else are you planning on making it up to me?"

That was how they found themselves in the dive bar Erin was at earlier, Erin tugging Jay along to rejoin Annie and Caitlin.

"Guys, this is Jay Halstead my boss," Erin introduced him to her best friends. "Jay, these are my best friends, Annie and Caitlin." Jay greeted them kindly, fitting into the atmosphere of the bar even though he stood out with his thousand dollar suit and half a million dollar rolex on his wrist. "Alright sit tight," Erin said, standing up.

"Wait, where are you going?" Jay questioned, standing up to follow Erin.

She pushed him back down onto the chair. "Relax Jay. I'm just going to the bar to get us drinks. My way of making up to you remember?" She patted his shoulder and headed to the bar, leaving Jay to interact with her friends.

As she waited for her drinks, she watched Jay across the bar as he interacted with her friends. She had to admit, even though Jay was rich beyond belief, he wasn't a snob. He didn't turn his nose up at being in this dive bar or that her friends were just normal people with normal 9-5 jobs. She loved that about him, she realized. That he was able to remain down to earth and humble despite all of his success at such a young age. He really was a perfect guy, she smiled wistfully, thinking that whoever that would end up with Jay was quite possibly the luckiest woman on earth.

* * *

She could tell he was slightly buzzed, judging from his red cheeks and a happy and easy grin on his face. He had insisted on giving her a ride to make sure she'd make it home okay, even though she wasn't drunk in the slightest. But he wasn't taking a no for an answer so Erin gave in, Antonio driving both of them back to her place to drop her off.

"That was fun," she said when the car stopped in front of her building. "Thanks for the ride." She opened the car door about to head in when she heard his side of the car door opened. She turned around to find Jay coming around the car and joined her on the curb. She gave him a curious look at what he was doing.

"A gentleman always walks his lady to her front door," was his explanation as he gestured for Erin to lead the way. She shook her head, amused, and entered her building. They walked side by side, shoulders and arms brushing every so often as they made their way to her front door, the time feeling too short when they arrived at her door.

"Well the lady is safe so thank you," Erin said, entering her keys into the lock. Jay leaned against the wall, not making a move to leave yet.

"Tonight was fun," he said, smiling. "We should do it again."

"You mean you go out on more horrible dates?" Erin teased, smirking at how horrible his evening earlier was.

"If it means I get to end the night like this then sure," he replied, sounding more sober than Erin had thought he was. She felt her throat dry, not knowing how to respond as he waited for her reply. Instead all she could give him was a smile and a small nod of the head before she unlocked her door.

"Good night Jay."

He nodded, standing up straight again. He wasn't going to push her for more. "Night Erin." She waved him goodbye and she closed the door, leaning her back on the surface until she heard him walk down the hallway, signaling his departure.

She still felt her face getting hot and the rapid beating of heart as she replayed his words and the look in his eyes over and over in her head. What was he doing to her? She felt the buzzing of her phone in her pocket.

"Hey Caitlin. Did you make it home okay?" she asked her friend on the other line. "A favor? Sure. What did you need?"

* * *

Erin wasn't sure how Jay would be doing this morning, like if he'd be feeling the residual effect of the shots and beer he had last night. But he looked completely fine as he sat at his desk, wearing another power suit and looking every bit like the billionaire CEO he was.

"Good morning Jay," she greeted him as she brought him his coffee, just the way he preferred. He gave her a grateful smile as she got closer to him, Erin seeing the tiredness in his eyes now that she was closer. "Did you get a good sleep last night?"

Jay shrugged. "Not much. I had an early morning conference call."

She tsked, chiding him. "You should take care of yourself better and not work so hard."

"I didn't know you cared so much," Jay said, grinning at her. She rolled her eyes.

"Of course I do." She grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and placed it on his desk. "Here, you need to drink more water. Keep yourself hydrated. Especially after drinking as much as you did last night."

"I'm fine," he said even though he took the bottle and drank it like she told him to. "I needed to drink that much to wipe away the memory of the date last night."

"That's what you get for having those arrangements," Erin started. "Maybe if you actually went out on a date with someone different, someone you like, they wouldn't be so horrible. Who knows? Maybe you might even have fun on them."

Jay tilted his head. "Yeah?" Erin nodded. "Maybe I should give that a try then," he voiced, sounding surprisingly excited to Erin's ears.

Erin bit her lips. "So you're interested? A date with someone new, different?"

The tiredness was gone from Jay's eyes and was replaced with a light. He leaned in to give her a reply. "I'm very interested," he said, dropping his voice.

"Okay tonight then," Erin said, seeing the corner of Jay's eyes crinkled up at her words. "At 9. At this bar called Molly's. Be there?"

She didn't think it was possible for the smile on his face to get wider but it did, his eyes crinkling even more, sparkling. "I wouldn't miss it for the world."

* * *

Jay didn't know why he was so nervous as he entered the small bar. He had been on plenty of dates before but this was the first time he was about to go on a date with Erin. Someone that he actually liked. A lot.

He had been surprised when she had asked him out, not expecting her to be interested or so forward but of course, he jumped at the chance to go out with Erin. She sounded adorable, all nervous as she asked him. If only she could hear how fast his heart was racing at her question, he was even more nervous than she had been.

He inserted his hands into his pant pockets, the leather jacket he was wearing already too hot in the bar. He had dressed more casual tonight, not wanting to wear one of his usual suits. He didn't want Erin to see him as her boss tonight but instead as a man she could see herself with, to get in a relationship with.

He glanced around the bar, looking for the familiar eyes but not finding the beautiful face he was looking for.

"Jay! Over here!" He heard his name being called from behind him so he turned, the smile on his face dropping when he saw who had called him over. He frowned in confusion when instead of seeing the hazel eyes and dimpled smile of Erin, he saw her friend Caitlin, who had a big smile on her face as she waved him over.

He walked over, sitting down hesitantly. He thought maybe Erin was late or was in the bathroom and Caitlin being there was just a coincidence. He hoped.

"You look great," Caitlin told him, smiling widely. "I got to admit, I didn't think you'd be interested when I asked Erin to set me up with you but I was so happy to hear that you were."

"Um.." Jay tried not to look crushed at her words, finally realizing the mix-up. This whole time, Erin had been talking about her friend going out on a date with Jay, not her. Jay had foolishly thought that Erin had meant herself, getting excited at the thought of dating Erin. He wanted to bolt out of there but he knew he couldn't just ditch Caitlin. This was one of Erin's best friend, he couldn't do that to Erin.

So he had tried not to look as sad and disappointed as he felt inside while he finished his drink, trying to listen to Caitlin talk about herself. He had nodded along at the right places, gave hums of approval when the conversations called for it, doing anything to not give away the fact that he'd rather be wherever Erin was right now instead of here. He had zoned out half way through whatever Caitlin was rambling about, chiding himself for being an idiot.

"You're not really feeling this are you?"

"Yeah," Jay replied, not having heard what she was talking about. "Wait what?"

Caitlin let out a small laugh. "It's okay. You've been distracted all night like your heart's not in this."

Jay gave her an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay. It's just not meant to be. We could call it a night then?" Jay nodded, pulling out his wallet to pay for the drinks and standing up to leave.

"I'm sorry again," Jay said. "You're a great girl Caitlin but I'm…" He wanted to tell her that he was falling in love with her best friend. That he wanted to be with Erin. Instead he just shrugged. Caitlin just responded with an understanding look. "Bye." He said as he left the bar, heavy disappointment in his chest.

* * *

"Jay what are you doing here? Where's Caitlin?" Erin was confused when she opened her door after hearing the knocks and finding Jay on the other side. He was supposed to be out on a date with her best friend right now, not at her door.

Caitlin had called Erin last night after Jay had dropped Erin off. Apparently Caitlin felt like she had made a connection with Jay during the outing earlier and had asked Erin to set them up. Erin had been unable to refuse, even though she was reluctant to set her best friend up with Jay, someone she knew she had growing feelings for.

So she just sucked it up and approached the topic with Jay the next morning. Maybe she had been hoping that Jay would turn the idea down but he had quickly agreed, even looking excited at the thought of the date. So Erin pushed her feelings down again and gave Caitlin a call, confirming their date for the night.

She had tried not to think of Jay and Caitlin hitting it off tonight on their date as Erin wallowed on her couch, stuffing her face with ice-cream. She didn't want to think of them laughing together, kissing at the end of the night or even worse, sleeping together. She knew she was being ridiculous. She had no right to be jealous. Jay wasn't hers. He was free to date whoever, even her best friend.

She had been thinking of adding alcohol to her pity party when she heard the knocks on her door, opening it only to find Jay on the other side. He had a strange look on his face as he leaned on the doorway.

"Jay?" Erin repeated her question, not getting a response the first time. She looked down the hallway to see if somehow Caitlin was there but not finding her. "What are you doing here? Your date is over already?"

"Why did you set me up with Caitlin?" Jay responded to her question with a question of his own.

Erin frowned, seeing the frustration and confusion on his face. "I asked you if you were interested and you said you were?"

Jay let out a frustrated sigh. "I didn't know that you meant her."

"Who did you think I meant then?"

Jay stuttered, stopping himself from answering. Erin looked at him, waiting for his answer. Finally he sighed. "Never mind. I'm sorry for coming here." With that, he turned and left, leaving Erin standing in her doorway even more confused than she was before. What had just happened?


	3. Part III

Part III

"Oh my god, that means he likes you!" Kim groaned, frustrated. "It's so obvious!"

After the confusion event of last night and Jay abruptly coming to her house and leaving, Erin had found herself confiding in Kim. It wasn't as though she'd be able to ask Annie and especially Caitlin about Jay's strange appearance.

"No, he doesn't," Erin shook her head, like it was impossible to fathom the idea of Jay having feelings for her. Kim rolled her eyes, grabbing Erin's arms.

"Let's review the facts shall we?" Kim started, holding up her fingers to count down the facts. "You never told him that it was your friend that he was going on a date with. He had accepted the date easily, probably because he thought it was with you. He and your friend cut their date short. Then he showed up at your door right after! Clearly, he thought he was going on a date with you, not Caitlin and he was disappointed when he saw her there, instead of you!"

Erin considered Kim's words, thinking them over. Was she right? Did Jay really think that the date was with her? She thought back over her conversation with Jay when she asked him on the date. She did recall not mentioning Caitlin's name when telling him about the date. She had been surprised that he even wanted to go on the date in the first place because she wasn't expecting him to accept her idea at all.

"Mmmm, I don't know. Maybe," she conceded to Kim. Maybe Kim did have a point. But what did that mean for her? For them? "So what should I do now?"

"I don't know, how about talk to him?" Kim replied, giving her a look like Erin was stupid. "Just talk to the guy. Clear the air. Apologize to him for the misunderstanding." A cheshire grin took over Kim's face. "Then afterwards maybe you guys can set up a date for real this time?" Kim teased, nudging Erin with her elbows.

Erin felt her cheeks warmed and directed her gaze down to the table. "I don't know."

"You like him don't you?" Erin stammered, starting to deny Kim's theory but the latter beat her to it. "Please, don't think I'm stupid or blind to see the interactions between you two."

"What?" Erin suddenly felt flustered. Was she being obvious with her feelings? She thought she had been acting the same towards Jay but if Kim noticed then surely others have too. Erin groaned inwardly, she didn't need this. She didn't need to become fodder for gossip yet again. She just wanted to keep her head down and work quietly to save up enough money for her mom.

"He treats you differently," Kim began to explain. "Ever since you first started working here." Erin could scoff at that. Sure Jay treated her differently but not in a good way. He had been plotting against her for his little revenge plan. "You know he fired two women down in Accounting because he caught them gossiping about you?"

"Wait what?" Erin shook herself out of her thoughts at what Kim said. Jay fired two people? Because of her?'

"You know Judy and her friend down in Accounting?" Erin shook her head. Ever since she started work at JHT, she had stuck to the top floor so she only really knew people from H.R and Jay's friends that worked for him. "It's probably better that you didn't." Kim continued on, her tone making it clear that she wasn't all that sad about the firing of those two women. "They're the biggest gossip in the company. They're the one that fanned the flames when I was going through my breakup, I swear, they made it worse than it already was. Anyway, apparently Mr. Halstead caught them talking about your hiring."

"What were they saying about me?"

Kim bit her lips, looking hesitant but Erin urged her on. "They were saying that you weren't qualified enough to be working here. That there were better candidates and that you only got the job because of your looks." Kim looked apologetic telling her even though they weren't her words at all. "So when he caught them gossiping, he fired them on the spot. Said something like if they preferred to be gossiping while they are working then they could do it at another company. Just like that," Kim snapped her fingers. "Gone. Not that I'm complaining. I hated those two."

Erin was flabbergasted, having no idea that Jay did that. For her?

"Also he had never allowed his old assistants to eat with him, ever," Kim continued on, unaware of the thoughts that were running through Erin's head. "They usually wait outside of his office or outside of the restaurant while he ate by himself. Didn't you also say that Antonio had taken you home before? Yeah, that never happened before either. But it's different when it comes to you. And the only conclusion I can come to is that he likes you." Erin blushed, not knowing how to reply. Kim smiled widely. "And from that blush I see on you face, I'm guessing you like him too?"

Erin immediately covered her face with her palms and schooled her face to neutral. "Don't be ridiculous," Erin denied but even she couldn't stop her face from smiling. Kim gave her a knowing look, laughing at her friend. "Okay maybe he's a lot different than what I thought. He's nice and charming,"

"And hot!"

"Yes, hot," Erin gave in. That was a fact and she'd be lying if she said Jay wasn't a good looking man. But what good were looks if the man underneath wasn't? Luckily though, as she came to find out, Jay was an even better man inside. Somehow he was even more perfect than she had even thought and she just felt so…..lacking when she compared herself to him. Is it even possible for someone like him to like her?

* * *

Deciding to take Kim's advice and just at least clear things up, she headed back to her office before the clock struck nine. She entered the office and saw that his office door was still closed. Erin frowned as she double checked her watch. Jay was always punctual and he always arrived at his office before nine. She knocked on his office door, not hearing his voice so she opened it, finding the office empty. She sat dejectedly back at her table, wondering why he wasn't there.

Was it because of last night? She didn't think someone as workaholic as him would skip a day just because of what happened. Then did he get into an accident? Suddenly her heart filled with worry for his well-being, her mind running with the thoughts that something had happened to him while he was on his way over. She got on her computer, checking news about accidents nearby, a little relief came her way when she saw nothing eye-catching. She chided herself for being dramatic and picked up her phone and called his cell. No answer.

That worry feeling came back and she thought over what to do. He had never missed a day of work since she started working here. She was at a loss on what to do. So after thinking it over some more, she decided that the only thing to do was to seek out the person that knew Jay the best. Mouse.

She caught Mouse just in the nick of time. The person she was seeking out was just about to leave for the airport to go on a business trip to New York but he was startled as she pretty much barged into his office, verbally vomiting her worries about Jay.

"Calm down," he told her, noticing her frazzled state. "I'm sure he's just in traffic or something." He called Jay's phone and maybe Erin felt relieved that he didn't pick up Mouse's calls either. At least Jay wasn't avoiding Erin's call on purpose. But that relief was quickly replaced by the dreadful feeling of worry of not knowing where Jay was.

"Do you think something's happened to him?" Erin asked his best friend. Mouse pressed his lips together, deep in thought. "I've checked the traffic news and there's no reports of an accident. Maybe he overslept?"

"That's not really like Jay," Mouse replied, rubbing his face. "Even if he did, he'd answer my calls." Mouse looked at his watch, cussing under his breath when he saw the time. "Shit, I have to get to the airport. I can't miss my flight. Otherwise, I'd go check on him."

"I can do it," Erin offered, wanting to do anything to find Jay. "I can go check on him."

"Are you sure?" Mouse asked, not wanting to bother Erin with something that wasn't part of her job.

"Mouse, I'm worried about Jay. I really don't mind." Mouse nodded, reaching into his pocket to pull out Jay's keys. "Please let me know if you find him. If you need anything, call me."

"Thank you." Erin quickly grabbed the keys and headed towards Jay's house.

* * *

She tried knocking on the door but no answer. Not wanting to wait anymore and needing to see that Jay was okay, she used the keys that Mouse had given her and went inside Jay's house. The penthouse that Jay lived in was massive and she wasn't exactly surprised to find that the decor was minimalist. That described Jay to a tee.

"Jay?" she called out, hoping for an answer. She slowly made her way further into his house, searching but didn't see him. "Jay?" she tried again. She searched the kitchen, the living room, his home office and library and didn't find him. Finally after searching through several guest bedrooms that were empty, she finally reached the final door at the end of the hallway. She knocked on it, calling his name out. She pressed her ears against the door, waiting to hear a reply. Instead of words, she heard low grunts coming from the other side. Her eyes widened in concern. "Jay? It's Erin." No answer. "I'm coming in."

She opened the door and made her way inside Jay's room. Like the rest of the penthouse, his master bedroom was enough to fit three of Erin's apartments in it. She opened the lights and there in the middle of the room tossing and turning in his massive King size bed was Jay. She rushed her way over to him and immediately she noticed the sheen of sweat that covered his face, the discomfort that was etched into his expression as he let out a loud moan.

She didn't know whether to feel relived or worry at finding him in that state. On one side, she was so relieved that nothing horrible had happened to him and that he was safe. On the other, she saw how uncomfortable he was right now and as soon as she touched her palm to his forehead, it was obvious why. He was running a high fever, probably because Jay was horrible at taking care of himself. She had no idea how many times she had to remind him to rest and eat and not to push himself so hard but he was stubborn and didn't listen. Now his body was paying the price for it.

"Jay?" she called out softly, not wanting to startle him with her sudden presence. "Can you hear me?"

Jay turned over, his eyes half opening to look at her. "E..Erin?" His voice sounded rough, like he hadn't drunk water in days. "What are you doing here?"

"I was worried when you didn't come in to work. Mouse gave me your keys." She sat down on the edge of his bed, her hand still pressed into his forehead. "You have a fever Jay."

He just groaned in response, turning his head around. "M' okay. Fine."

She could only roll her eyes at him who was still stubborn in sickness. "No, you're not. But it's okay because I'm here now. Just try to relax." She wasn't sure if he could hear or understand her but she took a grunt that he managed to let out as confirmation he did anyways. She stood up and made her way over to his bathroom, looking for medicine. She found some painkillers that could bring his fever down and made her way back to his side.

"Jay," she shook him awake and somehow managed to get him to take the medicine. He fell back onto the bed and fell back asleep. She reached out to push his hair back from his sweaty forehead, watching over him as he slept. She got up and got herself a cold towel and placed it gently on his forehead, Jay shivering at the sudden cold sensation. She shushed him gently, running her fingers along his jaw to sooth him back to sleep.

A couple of hours later, Jay was still sleeping and she headed to the kitchen to make him something to eat. He needed to take another round of medicine soon and he needed to eat before he took medicine on an empty stomach. She wasn't good at this. This whole taking care of other people thing. She could take care of herself plenty but she didn't have a lot of experience in doing so for other people when they were sick. She searched for some sort of soup that he could eat and was surprised when she found a can of chicken soup all the way in the back of the cabinet. It seemed as though Jay was the opposite of her when it came to stocking the fridge. While hers mostly consisted of milk, beer and ice-cream, his was fully stocked to the max with fresh vegetables, fruits and other healthy foods that Erin would never touch. She poured the soup into a saucepan to heat it up, hoping that Jay could hold down some food.

She made her way back into his room and he was still in the same position, looking uncomfortable as ever. She felt for him and the look of discomfort on his face. She wanted to make him better. She sat the soup on the bed and slowly shook him awake.

"Jay, come on. Get up for a little bit. Eat this and you can take your medicine after. It'll help you feel better." He stirred for a bit before he slowly opened his eyes, squinting at the sunlight from the curtains she opened.

"Erin?" He sounded confused and looked surprised to find her there. "What…"

"You're sick," Erin explained, knowing that he was probably groggy and out of it right now.

"You're here?"

She laughed softly. "Of course. I'm your assistant right? I'm here to take care of you. Come on." She helped him sit up, although he looked like he could fall over any second but he groaned as he sat up, resting his back against the headboard of his bed. She brought the bowl of chicken soup and placed it in his hands but found he was too weak to hold it. "Okay let me then." She scooped up a spoonful and brought it up to his lips. He looked like he wanted to protest at being spoon fed like a little kid but she tossed him a stern look until he opened his mouth and took a sip. Immediately he coughed, Erin quickly placing the bowl back onto the tray to pat his back. "Are you okay?"

He was still coughing and reached for the glass of water and took a sip. Finally the coughing fit stopped and he groaned, resting against the bed again.

"Are you okay?" Jay nodded. "Is there something wrong with the soup? Is it not good?" She looked at her bowl of soup. So it was from a can and didn't look that appetizing but still she went through the effort of heating it up and even adding a few vegetables to it. "I'm sorry. I'm a terrible cook and I probably messed it up. I just wanted to make something good for you to eat."

She could just kick herself, not being able to make a damn cup of soup. She dropped her head down, annoyed but found his hand reaching for her arm. She looked up and Jay gave her a small smile, the best he could manage under his condition. "The soup's great," he said, squeezing her arm although it had no strength in it. "It just went down the wrong throat."

"Jay," she wasn't sure if he was just telling her that to make her feel better. "I can make something else."

He shook his head. "No, you made that for me. It's good." He opened his mouth widely and closed his eyes. Erin could only chuckle at the childish gesture and expression on his face as he waited for her to feed him again. She grabbed the bowl again and fed him until the bowl emptied. He sighed contentedly. "Hmm, thank you."

She made sure he took his second round of medicine again and he laid back down to sleep. She covered him with his blanket and brushed his hair back again, a soft smile coming over her face. She hoped that he'd be feeling better soon. It was strange to see Jay who was always stoic and strong like this— soft and vulnerable. She was about to stand up to bring the empty bowl back to the kitchen but was stopped when he grabbed her wrist, Erin stopping in her place.

"Don't leave me," Jay said, his eyes closed. "Stay by my side." Erin felt her heart caught in her throat at his words, Jay sounding so vulnerable. She wasn't sure if it was the fever or if it was really Jay asking her to stay. But it didn't matter because she wasn't able to refuse him either way. She sat back down and grabbed the cold towel again and placed it back on his forehead.

"I'm not going anywhere," she whispered, running her fingers through his hair, not knowing if Jay could hear her in his sleep or not. But it didn't matter in the slightest. She wasn't leaving him either way. "I'll stay by your side."

* * *

After making sure he was deep asleep, Erin got up and left his room. The bowl needed to be soaked and she needed to clean the mess she made in the kitchen. She eyed the saucepan with the soup and she took a sip, immediately retching at the taste. She _really _wasn't meant to be a cook. Even the canned soup, she somehow managed to fucked up. It was salty like hell, the vegetables she put in were half raw and overall, it was just terrible.

She turned her head toward the closed door of Jay's room. He had eaten the entire bowl. Why? She wouldn't force her worst enemy to eat it but Jay acted as though it was actually edible. She softened, knowing that he did that so she wouldn't feel bad. Jay. Even when he was sick, he was still considerate towards her.

* * *

Jay groaned as he stretched his body and made his way out of the room. He was feeling better, less like a zombie and more human. He had been disappointed to find that Erin wasn't in his room anymore when he had woken up. He had thought she'd stayed until he was awake but she was gone.

He chided himself for feeling that way. Really, Erin had gone above and beyond just by being there. She was his personal assistant at work, her duties didn't extend to home yet she had came over and made sure he was okay. She had taken care of him.

He stopped in his tracks when he found Erin lying on the couch, asleep. She looked so peaceful as she snoozed away softly. A smile came over his face as he approached her quietly, not wanting to wake her up. He crouched down to get a closer look at her face, finding it just as flawless as he always did. He studied the full lashes fluttering in her sleep, the curve of her nose and the indentation of where her dimples would be. His eyes were caught on her lips, slightly parted as she dreamt away. He wanted to kiss those lips, had dreamed about kissing them for years now.

She stirred, her eyes moving back and forth until they opened slowly, widening when she saw him close to her. "Jay!" she sat up immediately, scanning him worriedly. "You okay?"

He chuckled, his heart warming at how much she seemed to care about him. "I'm okay." She didn't take him at his words though, her hand reaching out to his forehead.

"Mmm, your fever seemed to be gone," she said, removing her hand from his forehead and resting them on his shoulder. "How are you feeling? Any better?"

He nodded, giving her a grateful thanks. "Yeah much. I think I just needed that long sleep." She looked at her watch at his statement and gasped when she saw that it was already past 7 in the evening. Somehow he had managed to sleep the day away and so had she.

"You had a high fever earlier," Erin began, the look of worry overtaking her face again. "I was so worried when you didn't come in for work and wasn't picking up your phone. I thought something had happened to you."

"Erin, I'm okay," he reassured her again. She was worried about him? Jay bit his mouth, trying not to look like a happy idiot at her statement. "Thank you."

"For what?" she asked, as though her being here and taking care of him was a normal occurance and didn't need to be talked about.

"For taking care of me," he replied, taking a seat next to her on the couch. "I haven't been taken care of like that in a long time. I know it's not part of your job description to take care of your sick boss."

"I didn't do it because you're my boss Jay," Erin interjected. "I did it because you're my friend and I care about you." His heart soared at her statement and the fog in his eyes from being sick went away. He nodded, trying not to look overeager at her words but he couldn't stop himself from reaching over to hold her hand.

"I care about you too," he replied. "A lot." So much.

"I know. After all you did drink that whole bowl of soup even though it was easily the worst thing ever. Because you didn't want to hurt my feelings." He knew he was caught when she stared him down. Sure the soup had tasted bad. Downright horrible, in fact. But Erin had made it for him. How could he spit it out and refuse her? But he just shrugged in response, not admitting to it. Erin just laughed before her face turned serious again, her eyes studying him. "You really feeling better?"

Jay nodded. The pounding in his head from earlier was gone, so was the chills. He wasn't 100% yet but he was feeling infinitely better than before, all thanks to Erin. "Okay then, I should get home." Erin stood up and Jay immediately felt the loss of warmth. He didn't want her to leave but knew he had no right to ask her to stay. She had done more than enough for him.

"Okay," was all he could managed without sounding disappointed.

Erin got her coat on and turned to face him. "There's some food on the counter. Don't worry, I ordered it from that place you like. Try to eat something okay? I left the medicine next to the food too so take it after you're done eating." Jay nodded at her instructions as he followed her to the door. "If you need anything, call me."

_Yeah I need you to stay._ Jay thought to himself but he kept his thoughts to himself. He just gave her a small smile. "Thanks."

She sighed, like she had something else to say but she bit her tongue back. Instead her hands cupped his face, surprising Jay with the tender touch. "I mean it Jay. I'm here for you. Call me if you need anything." All he could was nod as her hands warmed him all over. His throat was dry and he knew it had more to do with the close proximity between them than his sickness. "Rest up and feel better. I'll hold things down at work." She bit her lips like she was contemplating something and before he could say anything back, she leaned forward and laid a kiss on his cheeks. Jay closed his eyes but the gesture was quick as Erin pulled back quickly and she directed her gaze down, avoiding his eyes. "Good night," she muttered out before she left his house like it was on fire, leaving Jay standing by the door with his hand coming up to touch the spot where she kissed him, staring after her like a lovesick idiot.

* * *

Jay took two days to fully recover and Erin was glad she had that time so _she_ could get over what she did at his place also. She couldn't believe that she actually kissed him. Sure it was just on the cheeks but still. But he was looking at her with this look in his eyes, like even though he was sick, his eyes that watched her seemed so clear. So without thinking, she had kissed him and of course, she made things even more awkward by running out of there like an idiot.

Erin straightened up her desk, although it was already neat because she knew Jay's tendencies to want things organized and neat. But she needed something to do to distract herself as she waited for Jay to come into work. She was stacking the files that didn't need to be stacked when she heard the office door open and Jay walked in, looking as though he was bedridden for the past two days. He had on a black suit that fitted him to a tee, a white button down and blue skinny tie that matched his eyes perfectly. His hair was slicked back neatly and the glasses that he wore for work were missing, giving her unobstructed view of his handsome face. She stood up to greet him.

"Good morning Jay." He stuttered, pausing in his step.

"Good morning Erin," he replied. Seriously if someone outside got a view of them two, they'd think that Erin and Jay were in junior high school or something, acting like shy teenagers. "Um, everything's alright?"

Erin nodded. "Yes. Everything is fine. I've rescheduled your meetings from the past two days to next week. The documents that need to be signed have been extended to today. I put the files on your desk so you can look them over today."

"Great." Jay headed towards his office and Erin sat back down, releasing a sigh, happy to get the first awkward interaction over with. But her happiness was shortlived when Jay stood in front of her desk, Erin looking up in confusion to find Jay sheepishly scratching the back of his neck.

"Did you need something Jay?" He remained quiet but shook his head. Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out something and placed it on her desk. Erin's eyes widened, both in surprise and confusion, when she saw the powdered blue jewelry box on her desk. Tiffany's.

"It's just a little something for...taking care of me," Jay explained, his eyes clouding with excitment as he watched her open the box, Erin gasping when she saw the necklace inside.

"Jay!" she breathed out, her fingers ghosting over the sparkling diamond pendant that hung from the silver necklace. "It's too much." She shook her head, pushing the box back over to him. She couldn't accept this extravagant gift. It was too much. "I can't take this."

Jay's face fell but he still pushed the box back to her. "Yes you can. It's my thank you for what you did."

"Jay, I really didn't do much," Erin refused again. "Besides I did it because I wanted to. Not to get a gift." Jay grabbed the box and got the necklace out of the box and came over to her chair.

"I know," he stood right in front of her, holding the necklace in his hands. "That's why I wanted to get you this. Because I know you didn't do it for the gift. You did it because that's who you are. Please Erin, let me thank you." Erin saw the pleading look in his eyes, accompainied by the excitmenet.

"Okay," she gave in. Jay's face broke out in a big grin and he gestured towards the necklace again. Erin got the hint and she turned in her chair, moving her hair to one side as Jay reached around to put the necklace on her, his finger trailing the crook of her neck. She turned back around and his finger traveled to the diamond pendant that hung on her porcelin neck.

"Beautiful," he whispered, looking at Erin like he wasn't talking about the necklace at all. Erin's fingers reached up to hold the necklace, joining his finger that was still there and slowly, their hands became one as their fingers laced with one another.

"Thank you," Erin whispered. "I love it."

Jay opened his mouth to say something, Erin's heart thudding against her chest in anticipation but the loud rings of the phone interrupted the moment between them. Jay stepped back like he just touched the hot stove and Erin gave him an apologetic look as she reached over to answer the phone.

"JH Tech." She turned to Jay. "Your 9 o' clock meeting is here." Jay nodded, letting out a disappointed sigh at their moment being interrupted and he headed back into his office.

* * *

"Mom, I've been trying to reach you for days but you're not answering my calls," Erin spoke into her phone, her frustrations toward her mother clear. "I'm calling you..again...to make sure that you gave Jimmy the two months payments I gave you. Make sure you give it to him okay? The sooner we can pay off this debt, the sooner we can breathe freely again. Call me back!" She hung up the phone and shook her head. Her mom had been radio silent against her for days now, ever since Erin had met up with her to give her the money. She just hoped that her mom was actually giving the money to Jimmy and not out spending it on herself. Erin would've preferred to pay Jimmy directly but she had no way out reaching the guy and Bunny had been tight lipped. All anyone knew about Jimmy was the garage he was rumored to run his business out of and it wasn't as though Erin could just go in there blindly, given how dangerous the guy could be. So she had to trust Bunny and that wasn't easy.

She clenched the sink, her knuckles turning white at the action. Sometimes she just wished she could cut her mother off and not give a damn about what happened to Bunny. But no matter how much she tried and no matter how much Bunny fucked up over and over again, she knew she couldn't. Because it was the same song and dance over and over again. Bunny, out on parole, promising to better her life, swearing up and down that this time was different. There was nothing Erin could do but than to hope that this time would actually be different.

She opened the faucet to wash her hand and looked at her reflection in the mirror, her eyes landing on the necklace and involuntarily, her face broke out in a smile. It was a beautiful necklace, easily the most exquisite thing she owned and Jay had given it to her. She held the delicate jewelry in her hand, her mind going to how their relationship had shifted over the past week. It was certainly for the better, she thought. She felt closer to Jay, knowing that he wasn't usually the one to let people in easily but he had somehow let her in. They've spent nights in his office, working late, both of them finding excuses to stay late and have dinner together. She didn't know why she couldn't just go for it, to put herself out there and tell him just how she was feeling. That she liked him. A lot. Everytime she worked up the nerve to, something would always interrupt her or break the moment between them.

'_One day'_ She thought to herself. Maybe one day, she'd finally worked up the nerves to confess to him just how much she liked him.

* * *

"Wow, that's a pretty bouquet," Erin gushed as she joined Kim in the break room, a huge flower bouquet on the table. "Someone has a huge crush on you," Erin teased. "Who is it from?" Although Erin was pretty sure she knew the answer already. There was only one guy that got Kim grinning like that.

"It's from Adam."

"Ah," Erin gave her a knowing smile. "What's the occasion? Did he finally ask you out on a date?"

"No. He found out that I was a finalist for the promotion in H.R."

"Kim, that's great. Congratulations!" Erin hugged her friend who seemed less than happy. "What's wrong? Why don't you look happy?"

"It's just...Adam is being so sweet and giving me flowers and all I can think is that I can't date him." Erin nodded, understanding why her friend looked sad all of a sudden. Kim was reluctant to get into another relationship with a co-worker and even though Adam was one of Jay's friends and really only showed up to the office every so often since he usually did his work in other locations, Kim was stuck in a hard place. "I like him a lot but I want the promotion too. I can't have what happened last time, me missing out on the promotion because I dated within the company, happens again."

"I'm sorry," Erin offered, wishing there was an easy solution. "Maybe this time it'll be different. I mean Adam isn't just a regular employee here. He's not even in the office most of the times."

"I don't know," Kim sighed. "Maybe. Still seems like a big risk. I'm still early in my career. I really shouldn't be risking losing yet another promotion for a guy, right? I should be focused on work." Erin could only listen as Kim vented to her. It wasn't as though Erin had any wise wisdom of her own to impart on her friend. "So I'll just have to put my love life on hold. At least until I get the promotion."

"If you think it's the right thing to do, then you should do that." Kim nodded, thanking Erin for listening to her.

"Well well well, if it isn't sisterhood of the traveling pants gathered here," Trudy quipped as she entered the break room, Kim's eyes widening in fear at being caught with the bouquet in front of her. "Who's the flower for?"

Kim began to stammer, her face turning red. Erin knew Kim didn't want anyone to know about her getting flowers from Adam so Erin stepped in. "For me!" Kim looked at her shock but Erin shook her head slightly, telling Kim that it was okay.

"Should've known," Trudy said, taking a closer look at the flowers. "Not like any secret admirers are aiming for Burgess." Kim shot Trudy a dirty look. "What?" Trudy rolled her eyes, tossing her head back. "Oh jesus, I'm just kidding Burgess. We're friends right? That's what we do. It's a joke."

"It's not very funny, Trudy," Kim replied flatly.

Trudy just shrugged, turning her attention back to Erin and the flowers. "Who's the guy with the good and expensive taste?" She pulled the card from the bouquet and read the words out loud. "To the most beautiful girl I know, Adam." Trudy frowned. "You're dating Adam? That obnoxious frat boy?"

"No!" Erin denied while Kim looked like she wanted to protest at Adam being called obnoxious. "It's just flowers Trudy."

"Uh huh," Trudy said, not quite believing Erin. "It is a nice looking bouquet. It's been a while since I received flowers from a guy." Kim let out a laugh, Trudy shooting daggers at her outburst.

"Yeah I've never gotten flowers from a guy either," Erin said wistfully, knowing that the flowers weren't even hers. They were for Kim. "It must be nice."

The three women talking in the break room didn't notice Jay arriving at the door, having caught the tail end of their conversation. He stuck his hand in his pocket and cleared his throat, catching them off guard.

"Mr. Halstead," Kim squeaked out. Jay gave them a small nod of acknowledgment, his eyes glued on the flowers on the table.

"Come on Burgess, break time's over," Trudy ordered, leading both of them back to H.R, leaving Erin alone with Jay. Erin gave him a small smile, noticing how nice he looked today with his blue suit. Was there a color he couldn't pull off?

"Nice flowers," he commented flatly, his eyes void of any expression. Erin's grin faltered on her face, noticing how he didn't seem that happy. "Who's it from?" he asked, looking off to the side as if he didn't care about the answer.

"Oh um, Adam," Erin lied, covering for Kim. She didn't want her friend to lose out on her promotion so she needed to keep the lie going. Jay sucked in his cheeks, nodding at her reply. "It's just...it's not a big deal, really."

"What's the special occasion?"

"Oh umm, nothing. It's just Adam being Adam. Sweet and funny. Probably why everyone loves him," Erin rambled on, wanting to end the conversation so Jay wouldn't catch on that the flowers weren't for her. He took a step closer and picked up the car, reading it over. Erin cringed inside, knowing what the card said.

Jay cleared his throat again, dropping the card back on the table. "It doesn't seem like nothing. Sounds like Adam likes you as much you like him." He held up his finger. "Oh sorry, _loves _him." He corrected himself. Before Erin could explain her words and situation to Jay, he turned and walked out of the break room, not glancing back towards her at all.

Erin sat back down on her chair and dropped her head in her hands. What had she gotten herself into?

* * *

Jay was hurt. Angry. Embarrassed.

He had actually thought for a second that Erin had feelings for him, genuine feelings but as usual, it seemed as though he was playing himself. Or rather she was playing him. He sighed, frustrated and tossed the papers he was working on to the side. How had he fooled himself into thinking that she liked him? Again? When all she really wanted was guys like Adam, like Landon. Someone that was different from him. Adam was outgoing, friendly, just had this ineffable nature about him that made everyone liked him. He was the ultimate life of the party, people gravitated towards him. While Jay on the other side was anything but. He was reserved, quiet, self-admittedly grumpy. He worked hard to overcome his shyness so his company could succeed but outside of the fake persona he put up in public events, he was still the same guy he was in high school. Withdrawn and nothing special.

He rubbed the bridge of his nose and squeezed his eyes shut. But every time he'd do so, he saw the flowers and Erin's happy smile in his face. He overheard her talking with Platt about how she hadn't received flowers before and how happy she sounded at getting flowers. THis was the last thing he expected, that while he was falling for her hard again, she was too busy falling for one of his best friends. It was like a cruel twist of irony. A sick joke that the universe was set on playing on him. Every time he thought he was close to getting a chance with Erin, the rug was pulled out from underneath him.

"Jay?" He looked up at Erin entering the office. "It's getting late. You want to call it a night? We can order dinner like usual?"

Jay shook his head. "No, um. I have dinner plans tonight." He saw Erin faltered at his rejection but she didn't say anything, just nodding before making her exit. He sighed, feeling like crap inside. But he knew there was no way he could sit there next to her on that sofa and eat dinner like they had been doing for the past weeks like nothing had changed. He couldn't pretend as though everything was the same between them. It was too confusing for him and he couldn't fall further into the hole that was his feelings for her. He couldn't fall into that trap again.

He exited his office, knowing that he needed to leave if he wanted to keep up the lie about having dinner plans. He did have plans for dinner...with her. But that was shot to hell after seeing her get flowers from Adam. She was still at her desk, engrossed in her paperworks but she looked up when she heard his office door closed.

"I'm leaving for the night," Jay said, keeping his voice as neutral as he possibly could.

"Good night Jay," she said, sounding unsure about his demeanor but she smiled just the same to him. "Have a good dinner."

He just gave her a nod in return, heading towards the door but stopped before he opened it. "Erin, go home soon. Don't stay too long and overwork yourself." He hated himself for not being able to stop caring about her or her well-being. He still wanted to make sure she was okay. He didn't bother waiting for her response and exited the office.

* * *

"So want to tell me why you're drinking like a sailor tonight?" Mouse questioned Jay, eyeing him worriedly as Jay knocked down another drink.

"Nope, not really." Jay poured another glass of whiskey for himself and made to drink again but Mouse grabbed the glass tumbler before he could, Jay protesting when his drink was taken away from him.

"Enough!" Mouse said, cutting Jay off. "Tell me what's going on? You've been smiling like an idiot for the past week whenever I saw you and now you're drowning your feelings into alcohol. What changed?"

Jay shook his head, dropping his head back onto his couch. "Nothing changed. Just me realizing the truth."

"Oh yeah? What's the truth?"

Jay lolled his head to the side, looking at Mouse. "That no matter what, I'm still that loser in high school."

Mouse furrowed his eyes in confusion, wondering what his friend was talking about. "What do you mean man? Is this about Erin? Did something happen between you two?" Mouse could only hope because frankly, he was getting tired of pushing Jay to make a move on the girl. He knew that his friend was head over heels for Erin...yet again but Jay was once bitten, twice shy when it came to her. No matter how much Mouse had tried to convince him that things weren't the same as they were in high school, Jay was still scared about telling Erin his feelings. Even though Mouse knew that Jay and Erin were getting closer by the day, catching them mid-dinners in his office and Mouse did notice a suspiciously beautiful and expensive necklace that Erin had been sporting as of late, Jay was adamant that nothing had been going on between him and Erin.

"Nope," Jay shook his head. "Just found out that girls like Erin would always go for guys like that."

"Like what?" Jay wasn't making any sense now.

"Like Landon. Like Adam. Not like me." Jay chuckled mirthlessly. "No matter what, I'm not the type of guy she likes. I just need to start accepting that."

* * *

Jay was nursing the worst hangover of his life the next day, the bright light streaming into his office was making the pounding in his head unbearable. He wished he could just buried his head under his pillows and just sleep the day away but Jay didn't take days off— especially not to nurse a hangover because he needed to mend his broken heart.

He was feeling shitty and the text message that he got from Adam this morning about wanting to go out for drinks after attending the opening of the store that JH Tech invested in was the last thing he wanted to see. He didn't need any reminders of why he had drank himself into a stupor, trying to drown out the image of Adam and Erin together in his head. He had no idea when they had gotten so close anyways. Sure he had caught them several times before whenever Adam came to the office but there was never any indication that they had something going on. Maybe Jay had just been blind to see what was right in front of him.

"Good morning Jay," Erin greeted him brightly as she brought him his coffee.

"Morning," he managed to mutter out, rubbing his head.

"Are you okay?" He heard the concern in her voice and for a second he softened towards her. "Are you sick again?" She leaned over his desk and reached forward to touch his forehead but he recoiled back, Erin's face dropping at his gesture.

"I'm fine Erin," he told her, trying not to care about the look of hurt that appeared on her face. He told himself to stop caring so much but it was harder done than said. "I'm fine," he repeated, hoping that it would be the end of the conversation.

She didn't push him further, just giving him a small nod and left his exit, leaving Jay alone with his thoughts.

* * *

Erin knocked on Jay's office door, hesitantly. He was acting strange and Erin didn't know what was going on with him. He had been cold and closed off towards her for the past two days, like he had been when she had started working here. She hadn't seen him acting like this towards her for a while now and seeing it again, she didn't like it.

He didn't look up as she made her way over to his desk. Erin sighed, wondering what had changed between them for this much tension to suddenly appear.

"Jay, your meeting with the investor for Holmes Holdings have been changed to 11," she said, reading off his schedule. "Mr. Phillips called to confirm your meetings with the Bear at 2. Then you have the event at night. Do you want me to arrange a date for that?"

"No," he said succinctly. "No need."

Erin smiled at that, even though he wasn't looking at her. "No more fake dates? Decide to take my advice to heart then? She teased, hoping that the banter would break the ice between them. But he just whipped his head up, Erin noticing a flash of anger in them before he controlled his emotions again.

"That's really none of your business Erin." Erin bristled at his words, at his sudden anger at her.

"Did...did I do something wrong?" She braved herself and asked him the question that had been on her mind. "Did something happen that I don't know about?"

Jay's mouth parted and she knew he was surprised by her sudden question. But Jay was good at his poker face because he quickly schooled his face again. "Nothing. I just think that we shouldn't talk about personal things in the office. Keep things professional."

Erin could scoff at his weak explanation. Things had never been just professional between them, not with his true intentions to hire her, her getting back at him and them both putting their bullshit aside to become friends. She wasn't buying his excuse.

"What?" he asked, noticing her reaction.

"Nothing." She smartly decided to keep her thoughts to herself.

"Clearly you have something you want to say so why don't you say them?"

Erin was fired up at that. "Okay, fine. Obviously something happened between us that had gotten you angry with me for some reason. I just want to know what it is so I don't have to tip toe around you."

"Tip toe?" Jay seemed just as angry as her, shooting fire with his eyes. "Just because I'm not falling all over your feet for your charm doesn't mean I'm doing something wrong."

"Excuse me?" Erin crossed her arms.

"You seem to be forgetting that I'm your boss Erin," Jay continued on, frustration clouding his voice. "Maybe you've forgotten that just because we had a few dinners here together but I'm your boss. I don't need to explain my mood to you."

Erin recoiled as if she had been slapped at that. She knew she wasn't quick enough to hide the hurt on her face and that Jay had caught it. But he steeled himself against her again. Erin gritted her teeth and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry for being confused then. I thought that we were friends but I guess it was just one-sided." Jay remained silent, not returning with a reply. "Don't worry Mr. Halstead, I won't be making that mistake again." She shook her head. "If you need anything else, you know where I'll be Mr. Halstead." She turned and walked out of his office.

"Erin," he called out but she didn't turn her head. Jay tugged at his hair, cursing at himself for exploding like that and taking his anger out of her. He knew it wasn't fair for her, that she wasn't at fault for him feeling like shit but he just couldn't go back to how they were before. Not yet anyways.

* * *

If Jay had learned anything over the past 24 hours, it was that he was utterly miserable without Erin. At least not the Erin he had gotten used to. She had been determined to treat him as her boss and just that. She had made it her mission to keep things extra professional between them. She addressed him by Mr. Halstead, given him one worded replies, and had been curt with him. Not that he could exactly blame her, he did pretty much shouted at her to act this way, didn't he? He just didn't know how much her warm smiles, their banters and just her overall presence had gotten him through his days before, how they seemed to make time go by faster. Now that he no longer had them, he was truly missing them.

He sat alone in the conference room, waiting for Mr. Phillips and his son to make their appearances. Jay felt something was missing being here at the Bears meeting without Erin. After all, she was the one that got them the second meeting but Jay didn't want to push and ask her to sit in, Erin not offering her company either. So she was back in his office while he was here, by himself.

"Mr. Halstead," Mr. Phillips greeted him as he entered, his eyes scanning the conference room for Erin. "Where's your lovely assistant Erin?"

"Mr. Phillips," Jay shook the man's hand before shaking his son's hand. "Um, Erin is out on another assignment right now," Jay lied, hoping that the old man wouldn't push it.

Mr. Phillips looked disappointed but he nodded, gesturing for Jay to sit down.

"Mr. Halstead, my father told me that you have some great ideas that we could implement. I can't wait to hear them. I couldn't believe my own ears when I heard that my father was willing to be open minded when it comes to adopting new tech for the team."

Mr. Phillips chuckled. "Yes, blame it on Erin. She was quite charming and convinced me to at least listen to the ideas." He turned his attention to Jay. "I was quite hoping that she'd join our meeting again Mr. Halstead. She is quite something."

Jay had to agree there. "I'm sorry Mr. Phillips."

"Next time then," the older man said, gesturing for Jay to start his presentation. Jay took a deep breath, his nerves growing at not having Erin by his side. He started his presentation, albeit a bit shaky before he got more comfortable and continued on, his eyes gauging the two men's reactions.

"Well that was certainly interesting," the son said, giving Jay a nod of approval. "I love most of the ideas. How about you father?"

"Not bad." Mr. Phillips stood up. "This all seems a bit out of my expertise so why don't I leave you two to talk amongst yourselves. Son, I trust you to do what's best." He turned to Jay, shaking his hand. "I'll see you next time. Be sure to bring Erin."

"Will do," Jay replied.

"I'm telling you Mr. Halstead," Mr. Phillips said, giving Jay one last advice. "Take it from a man who has been around the block and then some, when you have someone as special as Erin next to you, don't let her go."

"I won't."

* * *

Jay's mind was elsewhere tonight, the chatters around the opening party drowning out in the background. He knew Mouse was saying something to him but he wasn't really paying attention, his mind occupied with Erin.

When he had gotten back from his meeting with the Bears and got back to his office, Erin had gone home already, it being already past 6 o' clock. She usually stayed past her regular hours but Jay wasn't exactly surprised that Erin hadn't opted to stay tonight. There was no invitation for dinner or her smiling face waiting for him.

"Are you listening to me?" Mouse nudged him, breaking Jay out of his thoughts. "Jay?"

"Hmmm?" He turned his head to Mouse, catching the look of worry on his friend's face. "Did you say something?"

"Yeah I've been saying something for the past five minutes but it seemed as though you weren't listening," Mouse sighed. "What's wrong? Trouble in paradise still for you and Erin?"

"Erin? Where is she?" Adam suddenly appeared, putting his arms around both Mouse and Jay as he stood in between them. "Trouble in paradise huh? Something I should know about you two?" Adam teased, elbowing Jay's sides.

Jay shot daggers at both Adam and Mouse— Adam for being nosey and annoying and not to mention, being the object of Erin's affection and Mouse for opening his big mouth. The last thing Jay wanted for Adam to find out about his feelings towards Erin.

"Nothing to concern yourself with," Jay replied, shaking Adam's arm off of him.

"Okay," Adam held up his hand, conceding. "I won't pry about the love affair between you and your assistant. Although I have to say just how cliche it is."

Jay frowned, wondering how Adam could be so casual about everything. Didn't Adam have feelings for Erin? After all, he was sending her flowers, calling her the most beautiful woman he had seen. Jay swore to god if Adam was playing around with Erin, he'd punch him in his perfect nose.

"What's with that look on your face?" Adam asked, oblivious to the thoughts and images that Jay had of punching Adam in his mind. "Jeez, no wonder most of your employees are scared of you. Just look at your face man." Adam put his arms around Jay again, leaning in his ears. "Listen can I ask you for a favor man? Between us old friends?"

"What?"

"Can you look the other way when it comes to me and Kim?" Jay pulled his head back in confusion. What the hell was Adam talking about? Him and Kim? Who was Kim anyway?

"Who?"

"Me and Kim." Adam repeated as though it somehow made it more clear to Jay who Kim was. Jay shook his head again, still not knowing who Kim was. "Kim Burgess? The beautiful brunette that works in H.R? A.k.a the most beautiful woman I've ever seen."

Jay took in Adam's words, trying to put the pieces together. _The most beautiful woman. Kim Burgess. _The face of the brunette that Erin always hung out with flashed through Jay's mind. That card from the flowers. That was for Kim? Then why would Erin say it was for her?

"You and Burgess?" Jay asked, trying to get a clear answer. "That's who you sent the flowers for? Not Erin?"

Adam winced. "So you know about the flowers? Listen man, I didn't know that you had that rule about not dating within the company so I sent the flowers to Kim. I don't want to get her in trouble man. But I didn't know that she was up for a promotion so I might've just fucked it all up for her. So I'm trying to fix it. She's a great employee. Don't let my mistake hinder her."

Jay was left reeling by Adam's ramblings. He sorted through the information he was just bombarded with. Slowly, things began to click for him. The flowers were for Kim, not Erin. Erin was probably covering for her friend since Kim was up for a promotion. Suddenly Jay felt like the biggest idiot in the world. The biggest ass.

"Fuck!" he cussed. He could kick his own ass. He had came to the wrong conclusions and had acted foolishly, selfishly towards Erin. "I'm a fucking idiot."

"...Okay?" Adam looked confused. "But you know where I'm coming from right? Don't punish Kim for my mistake."

"Yeah yeah, sure," Jay waved him off. It wasn't as though he had planned on punishing either of them for it. "Don't worry. You're fine."

Adam pulled him into a hug. "Thanks man! Hey, drinks on me!" He said, leaving to get them the drinks he promised. Jay turned to Mouse.

"I fucked up," Jay told his best friend. "I thought there was something going on between Erin and Adam and acted…"

"Like a jealous ass?" Mouse finished for him. Jay could only nod, agreeing with Mouse. He was right. Jay did act like an ass.

"How do I fix this?" Jay wanted to fix the whole mess. Go back to the way things were before he jumped to conclusions and stepped out of line.

"Jay, have you ever, I don't know, considered telling Erin how you feel?" Mouse asked. "I mean, you have feelings for her but you are so good at keeping them to yourself. How is she supposed to know what is in your head? She's not a mindreader. All she knows is that you flipped on her suddenly and she probably has no idea why." Jay dropped his head, guilt filling him. "You should tell her how you feel. Finally. That's how you fix it. Maybe she likes you back, maybe she doesn't but she deserves to know how you feel."

"You're right," Jay admitted. "You're right. I got to go!"

* * *

Jay held the bouquet of roses in his hand and he made his way to Erin's door. After the misunderstanding, one thing remained true. Erin's admittance that she had never received flowers from a guy before and since Adam's flowers were for Kim, that fact remained true. But not anymore. Because Jay would be the first man to bring Erin flowers and hopefully he'd be the last.

He had no idea why she had never gotten flowers before. Erin deserved that and more. _Way more. _

He was scared and nervous at how she would react to seeing him. Hopefully she'd listened him out. He could only hoped that she could forgive him and they could start over...again. But Mouse was right, she deserved to know why he had acted the way he did. She deserved to know how he felt about her.

He frowned when he noticed her door was opened and he slowly pushed it open further. "Erin?" he called out, stepping inside.

"Who's there?" A voice yelled out from the inside, sounding scared and Jay made his way in further to find Annie and Caitlin standing in the middle of Erin's apartment, frantic looks on their faces. Jay looked around the small place, his heart dropping when he realized just why Erin's friends looked scared out of their mind.

"What the hell?"

There were smashed glass on the ground, shards from the broken lamps joining next to them. The cushions from the couch was tossed and the magazines that were on the coffee table were torn and destroyed. The apartment looked like a war zone.

"Where's Erin?" Jay questioned, his body running cold at the thought that Erin was missing and her apartment looked like there had been a struggle. "Where is she?"

"I..we don't know," Annie replied. "We were coming over for girls' night and we found her place like this."

"Fuck!" Jay pulled out his phone. "We need to call the police. Someone took her!"

"Wait!" Annie stopped him. "Don't!"

Jay looked at Annie like she lost her mind. "Erin's missing. She could be in danger. We need to call the cops and look for her. Fuck." He was losing his mind, his heart was beating out of his chest. His head was frazzled with worry for Erin, not knowing what happened to her.

"It's her mom!" Annie interjected, stopping him from making the call again. "It's probably her mom."

"What?"

"Her mom owes this dealer named Jimmy a lot of money," Annie explained. "That's why Erin started working for you. Because she took on her mom's debt. Erin's been worried the past few days about her mom not getting the money to Jimmy and him coming after them."

"Jimmy?" Jay asked.

"Jimmy, he's a scary guy that runs this neighborhood. You can't call the cops. Erin's mom, she's out on parole and Erin wouldn't want cops invovled."

"I don't give a fuck about her mom. Erin's missing. We need to find her."

"I know where she is," Caitlin spoke up. "If Jimmy is the one that took her, then I know where she is."

"Where?" Jay demanded, getting in Caitlin's face. All he knew was that Erin was in danger and he needed to get to her right away.

* * *

Jay could barely hear anything around him, could barely process anything. He just vaguely recalled barking the address that Caitlin had told him to Antonio over the phone, telling his trusted driver and security to meet him there and Jay racing over to the address immediately in his own car.

As soon as the garage came into view, he ran out of his car, making his way inside. If he was more rational, he'd realized just how stupid he was for going in blind but he wasn't rational right now. All he knew was that Erin was in trouble and some dealer had taken her away from her home. He kicked the door down, somehow his anger giving him enough strength to break the door down and he ran inside and searched for Erin.

He wanted to vomit at the sight he found.

Erin laid on the floor, in her underwear, as a man hovered over her. Jay didn't even registered her torn clothes strewn to the side or another man that stood to the side, keeping guard. All Jay saw was red as he ran toward the scene, punching the man and pushing him away from Erin.

"What the?" The man, who was probably Jimmy, was taken off guard by Jay's sudden appearance and Jay took the chance to punch him across his smarmy face again.

"Get away from her!" Jay barked, his anger pouring out as he tussled with Jimmy who recovered enough to fight back. The other man that was standing by joined the fight and it was two against one. But Jay wasn't going down without a fight, the image of Erin on the floor in his mind fueling him on. The two bastards needed to pay for what they were doing to Erin and if Jay was lucky enough to be the one to make them pay, he'd gladly take the chance. The other man held Jay's arms and Jimmy punched Jay across the face. Jay kicked his legs out, catching Jimmy in his groin and Jay jammed his elbows backwards toward the guy that was holding him, catching him square in his stomach, the guy groaning out in pain as he let his hold on Jay go.

Antonio came running in then with a couple of men and they held Jimmy and his man down. "Stop!" Antonio barked, holding Jimmy in place.

"Who the fuck are you guys?" Jimmy shouted. "Don't get involved in other people's business man! This has nothing to do with you guys!"

Jay punched Jimmy square across the jaw. "You hurt her? It's my business."

"That bitch?" Jimmy spat, spitting his blood onto the ground. "That bitch and her mom owes me money. I'm just taking what's mine. If she's not going to pay me back with cash then she could pay me back some other way."

Jay punched him again, his anger taking over. "How much does her mom owe you?"

"What?"

"How much?" Jay shouted. He turned to Antonio. "Take care of this. Pay him whatever he needs." He turned back to Jimmy, getting in his face again. "I'll pay off her debt. If I ever catch you bothering Erin again, I have enough power and money to bury you where no one will ever find you again. You understand?"

Jay didn't bother waiting for an answer, trusting Antonio to take care of everything. He had more important thing to focus on. He made his way over to Erin who was still on the ground, trying to cover herself as best she could. He took off his suit blazer and covered her trembling body.

"It's okay Erin," he said, trying to keep his anger down and not scare her anymore than she already was. "It's okay. You're safe now."

Erin was trembling, her body shaking. Jay didn't know whether it was from the coldness of the garage or just everything else but it didn't matter. The only thing that mattered right now was to get Erin out of there. He put his arm underneath her knee and the other on her back and he lifted her up, his jacket covering her as he clutched her to his chest. "I got you."

His heart broken when he heard her whimper, Erin burying her head in his neck. "Jay," she cried out and all Jay could do was tug her closer to him as she began to cry softly into his neck.

"I got you baby," he repeated as he made his way out of the garage, carrying her to his car. "You're safe now. I'm here."

* * *

Erin was embarrassed to say the least. She didn't know how she ended up here but here she was in Jay's room, half naked and totally embarrassed about what had happened earlier. She had been expecting her friends to come over but instead Jimmy and his man barged into her apartment earlier, pulling her. She had fought as hard as she could but they were too strong for her.

She knew she couldn't trust Bunny. Especially when it came to money. Apparently the money that Erin had been giving to Bunny to repay Jimmy had never reached Jimmy. And the man was pissed. He was determined to get paid one way or another and he callously ripped Erin's clothes apart. No matter how much Erin tried to fight him off, he was too strong. He had tried to rip her necklace from Jay away from her but she fought him, clutching her necklace. That had resulted in Jimmy backhanding her so hard she tasted blood. She tried to keep fighting but everything just felt futile as she was overpowered by Jimmy.

Then suddenly Jay had appeared like a hero. Her hero. He came in like a gust of wind and had whisked her away from that horrible place. He had rescued her. She had broken down in his arms then, both relieved and ashamed of what had happened. How Jay had caught her.

"Here," Jay came back into his room and gave her a robe to cover herself. She accepted it gratefully and she hesitated. Jay got the hint and he turned around so she could stand up and cover herself.

"Thank you," she said after she covered her body with the robe. Jay turned back around and nodded. Erin felt awkward being in his room but he had taken her back here after Erin had cried and sputtered in his arms. She knew her apartment was a mess right now so he had taken her to his house.

"Are you okay?" he asked her, scanning her up and down. Erin nodded, still shaky. But she didn't want to worry him. He had done enough for her tonight.

"I'm okay." He looked like he didn't believe her as he stepped closer to her. He gently brought his hand up and placed it under her chin, lifting her face slightly to assess her injury. She saw pure rage, a storm forming in his blue eyes, as he got a closer look. She brought her hand up to grab his that was holding her face. "Really Jay. I'm fine."

"You're bleeding Erin," he said, sounding angry. "I'm sorry," he clenched his eyes shut. "I'm not angry with you. I'm just angry." He took a deep breath, like the fact that she was hurt brought him pain. "Are you sure I can't take you to the hospital? Get yourself checked out?"

"No," Erin shook her head immediately. "No hospital. Too many questions. I'll be fine."

He didn't look pleased with her answer and he turned and left. Erin didn't know what to do at his sudden departure so she just sat down on his bed, braving herself to ask him for a change of clothes she could borrow so she could go home. Clearly, her being here was bringing him distress and she didn't want to bring him any more pain tonight.

Just as soon as he left, he returned, holding a first aid kit box in his hand. He made his way back to her and got down on his knees in between her legs where she sat on the bed. He put the first aid kit and opened it, pulling out a few q-tips and alcohol pads. Erin could only watch as he gently dabbed the q-tip to her lips, wiping away the blood. She winced in pain when the alcohol made contact with her wound, Jay shooting her an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry," he offered, as though it was his fault. "I'll be quick." He was so gentle with her as he worked to clean her wound. Erin felt her eyes watered at how amazing he was being towards her, even after their fight. A tear spilled out and it was like the dam broke and more tears began to follow. "Hey Erin. It's okay." He wiped away her tears, his hand cupping her face. "You're safe now. Jimmy can't hurt you anymore."

She broke down even more at that, knowing what he had done for her tonight. He had saved her from something she couldn't even think about, something so terrible and he had paid Jimmy off like it was no big deal.

"Shhh," he continued soothing her, comforting her. "I'm here."

"Why are you here?" Erin asked between soft sobs. "Even after our fight why are you here for me still? Why did you save me?"

Jay could only give her a small smile, his thumb still wiping away her tears. "I'll always be here for you." He brought his lips up to place a kiss on her forehead. "Always."

After Erin had calmed down, Jay went back to cleaning her wound. "This is going to sting a little," he warned as he dabbed the alcohol pad on her cuts again. She tried not to wince but the sting was too much. He sent her apologetic looks as he gently worked on her cuts. He placed a few bandages on the cuts.

"Thank you." That was all Erin could say even though it didn't even begin to cover the gratitude she felt towards him.

"What happened?" he asked her, still kneeling on the ground. "Did….did he manage to?" Jay sounded like he was in pain, as if the question pained him.

Erin shook her head. "No, he didn't get that far. He just slapped me because I didn't let go of the necklace."

"What?" Jay asked.

"The necklace," Erin explained. "I wasn't letting go of that. It's too important to me."

"Yeah?"

Erin nodded. "You gave that to me. I'm not letting go of that."

"Erin," he breathed out, leaning his forehead against her. "It's just a necklace. He could've hurt you even worse. You're more important." She looked surprised by his admission. "You're the most important person to me."

"Really?" She sounded so shocked.

"Yeah," he reached up to brush her hair away, looking into her eyes. "I like you, a lot."

"Look at me though Jay. I'm a mess."

Jay shook his head, not wanting to hear Erin put herself down. "No you're not. You're too good for me."

Erin looked at him like he was crazy. "What? How is that even possible? Look at you and look at me. You're handsome, rich, successful, you're so together Jay. And I'm a mess."

"You're the most vibrant person I know Erin. You're so smart too. You can charm anyone in seconds. Even people like Mr. Phillips and Platt love you because you're amazing. You care about everyone. Meanwhile I'm quiet, reserved and I keep people at arm's length. You? You're the light in people's lives. You put others ahead of yourself. I know now that the flowers were for Kim. I'm sorry for acting like a jealous idiot."

"You were jealous?"

Jay nodded. "Very. When I thought that the flowers from Adam were for you, I thought I lost my chance again with you so I lashed out and I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too," Erin offered, "For lying to you about it."

"It's okay. You did it for a friend. That's just a part of what makes you so amazing. And just why I have fallen for you so hard. You are the light in my life. You brighten my darkness."

"We're quite the pair aren't we?" Erin laughed. "We balanced each other out, don't we?"

"You're perfect."

"That's because you're a visionary. You're supposed to see things that aren't there. I'm not perfect."

Jay tilted Erin's chin and met her eyes. "You're a vision. You're perfect."

"What else do you vision?" Erin asked, her eyes boring into his.

"This," Jay whispered before leaning into meet her lips in a soft kiss. It was soft and gently and everything he had been waiting for. She met his kiss but winced in pain from the cut. He pulled apart immediately, apology spilling out at hurting her. That was the last thing he wanted to do.

"I'm okay Jay." She reassured him. "The kiss was worth it."

He smiled, leaning into kiss her forehead instead. "Get some rest." he told her, "I'll take care of everything. You don't have to worry about anything."

She nodded, settling into his bed. He laid another kiss on her forehead again but Erin pulled him down and kissed him on the lips. "Thank you Jay, for everything."

"I'll protect you Erin. Just stay by my side and I'll protect you from everything." That was the reassurance Erin needed to hear tonight as she drifted off to sleep in a peaceful slumber.


	4. Part IV

Part IV

It was getting way too hot. Erin groaned and shifted in her position, feeling entirely too hot. Unwillingly she opened her eyes and scanned her surroundings and immediately felt a weight around her stomach. No wonder she was too hot. She was wearing the huge fluffy robe that Jay had given her last night, not to mention he had pretty much tucked her under his huge comforter like a burrito and his arm was holding her to him. Well, the last one she didn't mind so much.

She shifted again— this time to face sleeping Jay— and she thought back to the events of last night. She recalled being so scared as Jimmy and his men dragged her to the warehouse, trying to fight them off as best she could as they ripped her clothes off her body and she remembered deciding to go down fighting when Jimmy leered over her, a twisted look on his face. Suddenly, she shuddered despite the warmth of the room. She didn't even want to think about what could've happened if Jay hadn't shown up last night. She didn't even want to put it into words. She knew that she'd never be the same if Jimmy had gotten his way with her last night.

But Jay saved her. Her hero.

She scooted closer to him, feeling safe in his arms.

_Jay._

If what happened with Jimmy in the warehouse was a nightmare then she could only classify what happened after with Jay as a complete dream. She couldn't actually believe that he had feelings for her.

'_You're the most important person to me'_

That was what Jay had said to her last night and she still felt her heart skip even now as she recalled those words and the look in his eyes as he told her those words. She could hardly believe that someone like him— handsome, rich, and caring— was interested in someone like her. This was a new territory for Erin. She had never gotten involved with someone like him. Someone she could only describe as perfect. She knew just how many women would die to be with him. After all, she was the one who often made those dates for him.

Speaking of which, there was the fact that he was her boss. She had never gotten involved with anyone she worked with before and she was always reluctant to cross that professional line. Could she do this? Could she just forget about everything else and just let herself fall further for this man?

She got her answer when his eyes fluttered open and she found herself staring into the vast blue ocean that were his eyes— calm and steady and in complete contrast to the storm that raged in those ocean eyes when he came to her rescue last night. He had been so angry last night when he found her in that state. Even through her falling apart in his arms, she felt the tension of his body as he carried her out of that warehouse. But he had been so gentle with her and had taken care of her. She never had someone taken care of her like that before. No boyfriend of hers had ever treated her as well as Jay had and he wasn't even her boyfriend. Was he? Despite the mind blowing kisses last night, she wasn't sure where they stood or about the new changes in their relationship. But when his fingers reached up to gently stroke her face, Erin's eyes closing at the sensation, she knew she'd take all the uncertainties if she could just stay here like this.

"Morning," he broke the silence, a soft smile overtaking his face. He was looking at her like she was the most beautiful thing he'd seen and she knew that couldn't be true. Especially not with the bruise on her lips.

"Morning," she returned, her voice sounding even more raspy in the morning. "Thank you for everything last night." She wanted him to know just how grateful she was for what he did. He just waved her thank you off. Instead he leaned in closer and searched her eyes for permission. She closed the distance and lightly placed her lips over his. He was careful with her injury— _always so gentle—_ and his arm around her waist tightened as her arm curled around his back, enjoying the feeling of his bare skin. After they indulged in heartstopping kisses and sweet pecks, he finally pulled back to take another look at her.

"How are you feeling this morning?" Concern made home in his eyes as he regarded her injury. But she hardly felt a thing, too happy with the development between them to feel any lingering pain.

"Good." She spread her palm on his chest as a confirmation of her word. "I'm good Jay. I'm happy."

A look came across his face. "Yeah?" he questioned almost like he couldn't believe her answer.

She didn't understand how someone as perfect as him could still be so…..unsure of himself around her. Didn't he realize just how amazing he was? She noticed that he often acted like it was some kind of a miracle whenever she complimented him.

"Of course," she confirmed her feelings. "This is where I want to be."

His eyes softened and he grinned, pecking her forehead. "Alright, how about I cook us some breakfast?"

She quirked her eyebrows at his offer. "You know how to cook too?" she asked incredulously. "Do you even realize how perfect you are?" He smiled at her compliment, leaning to kiss her. They got lost in the kiss for what felt like hours.

"Okay," he sighed, reluctantly pulling away from her. "I really should get some breakfast started."

She sighed too. "Yeah, we should get out of bed if we're gonna make it into the office today."

"No, you're not going into the office," he said. "You're taking the day off and resting."

She frowned. "What? Why? Jay I'm fine. I can go to work."

"Erin, you went through something scary last night. Not to mention, you have that cut on your lips."

She rolled her eyes at his protectiveness. "Jay, it's a cut. It's hardly life-threatening. Don't worry, I'll cover it up with makeup so people at the office won't talk."

"I don't care about the people at the office. I care about you." Jay returned. "Just take the day off and I promise I'll overwork you again tomorrow."

"If I'm not there, how will you survive?" Erin joked. He made a face like he was in deep thought.

"You do have a point," he replied, trying to keep his face serious. "Okay then how about this? Since you're taking the day off and I obviously can't survive without you, then how about we both don't go in? Take the day off and spend it together?" She was surprised by his suggestion, knowing that Jay was pretty much a workaholic and never took days off.

"Really?" she asked just to make sure. He just nodded and sat up on the bed. "You can go a day without work?"

He brought his head closer to her, his teasing eyes locked onto hers. "If it means spending the day with you instead then sure." He just gave her a peck and got up to get breakfast started. Erin could only laugh softly as she watched him leave the room, his backside giving her a good view.

She stretched as best she could in the bed, enjoying the large space that his huge bed was offering. Somehow even in his California King size bed, they'd spent the night cuddled up in the middle like they were in a twin sized one instead. She sat up and looked around his room. He kept his bedroom like he kept his office— neat and sparse. She could practically feel his need for order as she glanced around the neatly placed knicknacks on his drawers and the organized books lined up in the bookshelf. Her eyes narrowed in curiosity when she saw the spine of a book placed all the way on the bottom of the shelf and she made her way over to it.

Jay's high school yearbook. The year on the front of the book told her that it was their senior year.

Erin opened the book— never having seen it before. Yearbooks weren't cheap and she didn't have spare money back then to waste on a memory book instead of more important things like food and shelter. The back of the cover was signed by only one person— Mouse. A sadness took over her when she saw the evidence of Jay's high school torture. Usually the cover of the book would be filled with messages from friends saying cheesy things like 'Keep in Touch' or 'it was fun getting to know you'. But Jay's book only had one signature.

She leafed through the pages more and saw people she recognized and a lot that she didn't. Her eyes slowed when she came across her own picture with her so-called friends. They were in a crowd, sitting around what was deemed as the popular table back then, all smiling at the camera. Landon's arms were around her and she was pulled into his side, like she was his property. She sighed, thoughts of her foolish and naive days back then taking over her thoughts. They were never really her friends. Friends didn't turn on you or made you feel like shit. She saw Stephanie's smirk. God, she was such a bitch. And Erin had been an idiot.

She couldn't recall why she ever felt the need to pretend to be someone she wasn't back then. Like she felt the need to act as though her life was just as good as theirs and that she wasn't allowed to attend the private school without a ton of conditions and restrictions and a generous scholarship. She shook off those thoughts, wanting to move on rather than dwell on her high school days.

A smile took over her face when she reached the club section and saw Jay and Mouse standing side by side. _Video Game Club_. She almost didn't recognize Jay at first, he had changed so much. It wasn't as though he was ugly back then. He was just scrawny and had freckles all over his cute face and there was an overall quiet demeanor that Erin could tell just from his picture alone. Today though, he had definitely filled out physically and he was so much more sure of himself. She guessed that having that much success at such a young age would do that to a person.

But still he was cute even back then. For a minute, she was jealous. He and Mouse were such good friends and Erin wished she had a friend like that back then. Hell, she'd trade all of her fake friends and popularity for one true friend like Jay had in Mouse. They knew what they wanted to do even back then and they achieved their dreams together.

She flipped the page and saw another picture of Jay and Mouse. This time it was for a comic book club that there were only two members of. God, he was such a geek, Erin thought fondly. She spent the next few minutes flipping through more pages until she came across a picture and she frowned, staring at it.

* * *

"Just make sure that he never comes anywhere near Erin again. You paid him what he's owed right? Good," Jay spoke to Antonio on the phone as he looked through his fridge for what to make for breakfast. "Also Antonio, her place is a mess from what happened. Can you have someone take care of it? Replace everything that's broken inside and I want security cameras installed outside so what happened doesn't happen again." He slammed the fridge door shut, anger brewing when he thought back to what happened. Erin didn't live in the best neighborhood and obviously her place was easy to break into since Jimmy and his scum got to her so easily. But Jay was adamant that it would never happen again. Not if he could help it.

"Yeah yeah I'm still here," Jay broke out of his angry thoughts and unclenched his fists. "Yeah thanks for everything Tony. I'm taking the day off so why don't you too? Spend the day with your kids. Alright, I'll talk to you later."

Jay hung up his phone and gripped his kitchen counter, trying to lose the last remnants of his anger. She was fine. She was okay. He had to remind himself of that. He tried not to remember the image of her half naked, scared and vulnerable on the ground, as Jimmy stood over her. He didn't even want to think about what would've happened if he didn't find out where she was or if he didn't get there in time. He'd kill the bastard if he hurt Erin. That much Jay knew.

He exhaled. It wasn't helping him to continue to think about it. She was alright and that was all that matters. He shook his thoughts off and started on the breakfast he promised her, finding the cooking a helpful distraction. He plated the eggs and bacon while the coffee finished brewing. He headed back to his room to tell her that breakfast was ready, skidding to a stop when he found her sitting on his bed, her legs hanging off the side. He couldn't even properly appreciate her bare and toned legs or how adorable she looked in his robe that was just utterly too big on her. All he could focus on was the book she was looking at, his heart dropping when he recognized the damn book and what was in it.

* * *

Erin studied the picture, unable to move past it. She was so engrossed in the picture and the story behind it that she didn't even realize that Jay had come in. At least not until he quickly grabbed the yearbook off the bed and closed it with a loud thud, catching her off-guard.

"Jay!" she shouted, startled. "What…" She was taken aback by the look on his face, like he was almost panicked.

"Don't…" Jay stuttered, clutching the yearbook. He swallowed, taking a moment to gather himself. "Breakfast's ready."

"Jay. What was that picture about?" She knew by his face that he knew which picture she was talking about. She didn't even have to narrow it down for him. "Jay."

"Like you don't know," was his reply. Erin was confused. Why would she know?

"What?"

"Erin, whatever okay? It's in the past. You did what you did and I'm over it. Let's just get a fresh start and move on." She stood up from the bed and approached him.

"Hold on," she called out, reaching out to grab his arm. "What I did? What did I do? What are you talking about?" Jay was looking at her like she was out of her mind, his eyes filled with hurt. She took the yearbook from his grasp and turned to the page with the picture. She held it up to him, Jay's eyes closing when he saw it.

It was a picture of Jay and judging by the tux he was wearing, Erin knew it was their Senior prom. He was standing alone in the middle, a crowd gathered around him and all she saw was the popular crowd— Landon, Stephanie and other people in the group— pointing at him and laughing while everyone else either were laughing along with them or had uncomfortable looks on their faces. But what caught her eyes the most was the look of heartbreak and embarrassment on Jay's face. So clear. Even from the black and white picture. He looked devastated.

"Did something happen to you at Prom Jay?" He scoffed at the question and turned away from her to head to the bed and sat down at the edge. She was so confused and lost. It was like he was almost blaming her for whatever happened and she had no idea what it was. "What did they do to you?"

Jay's head shot up. "Not they. You."

Erin was getting frustrated. She didn't like being accused of something she didn't do and if Jay was going to keep blaming her then he'd better start explaining to her what actually happened.

"I have no clue what you're talking about Jay. I wasn't even at the Prom." It was true. By the time Prom had rolled around her Senior year, her life was falling apart. Stephanie was holding her secret of having a junkie mom and a deadbeat dad over her head, she had broken up with Landon because of it and she was just desperate to get the time she had left at that school over with as fast as possible. The last thing she wanted to do was to spend the money she didn't have on a dress she was only going to wear once for a dance with people she hated.

"Yeah that was the plan wasn't it?" Jay bit out. "Trick me into thinking that you'd be there when the plan was to have your friends waiting for me to make a fool of myself?"

"Okay you're going to have to start over from the start. Who did what?"

Jay looked at her incredulously. "I asked you to prom? You said yes but you didn't show."

"You asked me to Prom? What? When?"

"Are you…" Jay sighed like he was bracing himself to relieve the painful memory. "You had broken up with Landon. I knew because everyone was talking about it. About how the perfect couple broke up. I don't know how Mouse talked me into it or why I thought you'd even accept but I put a note into your locker, asking you to prom." Erin was so shocked at what she was hearing. Jay laughed mirthlessly. "I had the biggest crush on you for years. Ever since I first saw you at school."

"Jay, I didn't know." He liked her? Even back then?

Jay just shrugged. "Of course you didn't. You didn't even know I existed back then." He just looked so sad that Erin wanted to reach over and hold him but she held back, knowing that he probably wouldn't appreciate it. After all, it was her that apparently hurt him. She knew he was bullied back then and had a hard time in high school. She just had no idea she took part in his pain. She felt awful.

"You said I said yes to your invitation?" She needed to get the full story.

"Yeah. At least that's what I thought at the time. I knew it was a long shot but I don't know. I just thought I needed to at least tell you how I feel before we graduated. So I put a note in your locker, thinking that I made a huge fool of myself and how you'd never say yes in a million year. So imagine my surprise when I opened my locker and got a note from you, saying you'd go to prom with me and that you'd meet me there."

"I never got that note," Erin interjected. "Your note, I never got it." Jay studied her, like he was assessing if she was telling the truth or not. "I swear. I never got it and I didn't send you a note either." She grew angry when she realized who did. "Landon. It must've been him." He was the one who knew her locker combination and she knew he was cruel enough to do that to someone.

"I didn't know that. I was just so happy that I let myself believe that I actually had a chance. I didn't see the red flags like how could someone like you even go out with someone like me. So I got a tux and went to the Prom, thinking you'd be there. Only I was met with Landon and Stephanie telling me how you'd gotten back together with him and how you guys planned this so I'd know how far out of my league you were. That I needed to be taught a lesson so I'd stop deluding myself and how you couldn't even show up because you were disgusted by me."

Her heart broke for him, being fed all those lies. She would've never been that cruel. That heartless. She felt her ire grow at the shitty people she surrounded herself with, who got off on making other people so miserable for entertainment.

"Jay, I had no clue about any of it. I swear I didn't. I would never do anything like that." She wanted to explain herself to him. Apologize until he knew that she had no part in it yet still apologize for the pain he suffered. All because Landon was a fucking jerk and Stephanie was a raging bitch.

"I just wanted to get out of there as fast as I could but it was like I was frozen in place, their laughter mocking me yet I couldn't move. I didn't even realize who took that picture," he said, still lost in his memory. "When I finally snapped out of it, I ran out of there, so humiliated. And pissed. Pissed at myself. At you. At everyone. I just locked myself in my room for a week after that. I couldn't face anyone, not even Mouse."

"I'm so sorry for that Jay." She slowly reached out to hold his hand, testing the water. He didn't brush her off and Erin counted that as a win. "I'm sorry that it happened to you."

"When I finally went back, I tried to confront you. I remembered walking up to you, ready to give you a piece of my mind but you just walked past me, like I was invisible and you didn't even see me. That's when I realized that you never did and you never will." Erin shut her eyes, hating herself for how she was back then. What he said was true, she didn't know him back then. Hell, she couldn't even recall him coming up to her. She was too caught up in her own drama to pay attention to anyone else. She was a horrible person. "Of course, Landon made sure that the picture made it in the Yearbook. I didn't know that there had been a picture or that it'd be in the yearbook. Not until I bought one and opened it. I wanted to rip it out but for some reason, I couldn't. I kept it all this time like it was some sort of motivation. So I'd never be that guy again. Never let myself make a fool "

She really shouldn't be surprised by that yet she was still surprised by just how cruel people could be. Landon had made sure Jay's worst moment would always be memorialized in the yearbook. She didn't know what to say to make things right. Even though she didn't partake in the cruel prank, she couldn't help but feel responsible for it. Like it all happened to him because of her.

She wrapped her arms around Jay, holding him close, happy when he didn't push her away. "I'm sorry," she mumbled into his neck. "For everything. If I had known, I would've done something to stop it." He didn't reply but she was encouraged by the fact that he wasn't pushing her away either so she just held on. "You are so much better than those people. Than me. You didn't deserve what happened."

"You really didn't know?" Jay finally asked, his eyes turned away from her.

"No." He turned to look at her in the eyes. "No," she repeated, hoping that he'd be able to tell that she was telling the complete truth. He just nodded, leaning his forehead against hers. His own way of telling her that he believed her. "It's still my fault," she whispered against his skin. He brought his head up to give her a questioning look. "They did it because of me."

"That's on them, not you. I'm sorry for thinking that you were a part of it too."

She shook her head, not wanting his apology. "You didn't know Jay."

"Neither did you."

* * *

Those were the truth. In the end, neither of them were at fault for what happened. Both of them were puppets of someone's evil imagination. He'd held on to the anger and humiliation for too long now. And now he knew that she wasn't a part of what happened back then. He always had trouble reconciling the belief that Erin could be that cruel in his head and he knew that she wasn't. It was like the last bit of fight he had to stop falling for her fell away. Who was he kidding? He never had a fighting chance but to fall for her. Back then and now.

"Funny how things worked out huh?" she whispered, still holding onto him. He didn't want her to let go. "Who would've thought we'd end up here right? After all these years."

He connected their forehead again, closing his eyes. "Who knew?"

"Feels like we're always meant to be here though," she told him and he couldn't agree with her more. Whatever happened in the past and whatever they'd been through, it felt right being here with her. Like they were always meant to be together.

He connected their lips together, his hand coming up to hold her face as he kissed her. He felt her take in a sharp breath at his sudden action but before he knew it, she was kissing him back, deepening their kiss. She let out a soft moan when he tangled his fingers through her hair, bringing her face closer to him. He was sure he let out a strangled noise but he couldn't tell, too lost in the kiss to care. When they finally pull apart so they can both take in a much needed breath, he was left seeing stars.

"Jay," she spoke breathily, Jay getting the urge to just kiss her again. She cupped his jaw and held his gaze. "We're okay right?"

He smiled at her before deciding that a kiss was a better response than any words. She smiled, taking the kiss as the answer that they were better than okay. They were going to be great, together.

* * *

Sometime later, they finally managed to pull themselves apart from each other to actually eat the food that Jay had made. The eggs were cold and the bacon was tragically limp by the time they actually got to the food but neither of them cared, too caught up with each other to pay any attention to the food. They both couldn't stop smiling, their eyes on each other more than their food. Jay felt free for some reason, like now that everything was out in the open he felt closer to her. He didn't realize that there was still a huge part of him that was scared and still hurt by what happened. Or that even though he had admitted that he fell for Erin again, there was a part of him that was still holding himself back, like he was protecting himself.

Now, he felt a weight lifted off his chest. He had given up the fight to hold himself back. And he couldn't stop kissing her. Not that she was complaining. She seemed just as unable to tear herself apart from him either. He never knew he'd be so happy or that such happiness could even be possible.

She was giving him kisses all over his face and he was beaming, just letting her have her way with him. He turned his head so at least some of those kisses made their way onto his lips.

"Okay okay," Erin sighed, pulling away. "Let me at least get some food in myself." He rolled his eyes at her but she knew it was without bite. She took a few bite of her food and Jay took the opportunity to get up and stand behind her stool, his arms around her, his hands resting on the island. He kissed her neck before peppering kisses.

"Jay," she giggled, ducking slightly because she was ticklish. "You need to eat too."

"Mmm, this is more delicious," he mumbled into her neck. Erin turned her head slightly so they could connect their lips. "Okay," he sighed, not wanting to pull apart but he did want her to eat. She needed to take better care of herself. So he just landed a kiss on her forehead before reluctantly pulling away and taking his seat next to her.

She reached out to hold his hand with her free one and gave him a smile as she ate. Happiness practically radiated off of them.

"I'm happy we're here," she told him and he melted, nodding to agree with her. "I'm happy that even though what happened back then and what happened last night, they all have led us here."

"Me too." He brought her hand up to kiss it. "Last night, I was so worried about you. When I saw your place like that, my heart dropped."

She just nodded, the conversation taking a serious turn. "Yeah, I was scared too."

"I never want to have that feeling again. And I'm going to make sure that it won't. I took care of your debt with Jimmy. He won't be bothering you again." Erin was about to object but he continued. "And your place is being fixed right now. I'm having security cameras installed outside so you'll be safer."

"Jay, I really appreciate what you did but it's not necessary." He knew she was going to refuse his help. He should've expected it really.

"Erin, just let me do this for you okay? For both of our peace of mind. I don't think I can survive seeing you like that again." He clenched his eyes shut, recalling the memory of last night.

Erin sighed, tightening her hold on his hand. "Okay, I can deal with the security camera but Jay you got to at least let me pay you back." Jay shook his head immediately. "Jay, I can't have you pay that much money for me."

"Erin, it's not a big deal. I want to help."

"I know you do. But I can't accept that large amount. At least take it out of my paycheck." He knew Erin was independent and stubborn but he was just as stubborn. There was no way he'd be cutting money out of her paycheck. "Jay," she sighed, "we can't start our relationship like this. With you paying for everything."

Jay's eyes lit up at her words, his mind focused on a singular thought. "Relationship?" he asked, a grin forming on his face. Erin blushed and Jay just fell for her even more. He laughed, amused, and reached out to hold her face. "As your boyfriend, let me do this for you. Please."

Erin's dimples made their appearance at the name he called himself. And he knew by her smile that he won the fight. "Fine. But only this time okay?" She got up and sat on his lap, his arms came around her waist to hold her as they balanced themselves on the stool. "Jay, I don't want you to ever think that I'm with you for your money."

"Never," he immediately replied. He knew Erin wasn't like that. He trusted her. "I know you're with me because of my hot body," he teased, a smug smile on his face.

She just playfully smacked his chest, tossing her head back. "I've seen better."

He glared at her response, loving the hearty laugh that came out of Erin. Her arms came around his neck and she closed the distance, resting her forehead on his. "Nah, I'm with you because you're you. I don't need any other reason."

He smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corner and he closed the gap, connecting their lips. "Me too. I just want to be with you."

* * *

_A/N: I hope you guys are ready for the massive ball of fluff coming next :)_


	5. Part V

Chapter 5

She opened her apartment door and stepped inside. She wasn't sure what she'd find when she returned home. She did notice the security camera that Jay had someone installed right outside her door. She didn't want to admit it but she did feel safer knowing that there were cameras now.

"Home sweet home," Jay came up from behind her and kissed her neck. She giggled, wiggling away from the ticklish feeling. "So what do you think? Up to your standards?"

The apartment had been cleaned up, the broken shards and glass from last night had been swept away and the broken furniture had been replaced. She walked over to the new television that had been installed on her wall, a 70 inch flat screen, and she shot Jay a look.

"Woo," Jay whistled as he joined her in front of the television. "Antonio did a good job picking the t.v out."

"Jay," she started but Jay knew what she was about to say and cut her off.

"Okay it's just a t.v Erin and look how awesome it looks on the wall."

"Yeah it looks great and expensive. I don't even want to ask how much it costs. All I know is that it's too much for me to accept." Not that she didn't appreciate Jay's good intentions, she didn't feel right accepting the lavish gift. Or gifts, she should say. She noticed a few new additions to her previously humble apartment like the massage lounge chair by the window, the beautiful lamps to replace her broken ones, the sound bar that had been installed along with the television and a few more electronic items she spotted in the room. All in all, she'd guess that her unexpected living room makeover must've cost Jay a few thousands dollars. _At least._ Plus there was the whole $50,000 he had paid Jimmy off with. It was simply too much.

"Erin, I want to do this."

She sighed. "I know you do. I know you have nothing but good intentions for this Jay but we just started dating and we can't start our relationship off like this."

"Like what?" he protested. "Can't a boyfriend do something nice for his girlfriend?"

"Yeah something nice implies like a flower now and then. Or a nice dinner. Not dropping a few thousand dollars on top of the 50 grand he already spent!"

Jay squeezed her shoulders. "Forget about the 50k Erin. Okay? It's a small price if it means that Jimmy is never coming anywhere near you. And this? It's just necessities."

"I do not need a 70 inch flat screen Jay," Erin scoffed.

"I do," he argued. "Plus since I'm your boyfriend now, I'm going to be spending a lot of time here so this is really for my benefit."

She rolled her eyes, knowing that he was just using that as an excuse. But the teasing grin on his face weakened her resolve, her mind too stuck on him saying that he was going to be around quite often. Plus the way his eyes were lit up and looking at her got butterflies fluttering in her stomach.

"Fine," she gave in and Jay's grin widened, knowing that he got his win. "But this is a one-time thing Jay. As much as I appreciate everything you've done for me, I don't need these gifts or these fancy things."

His hands cupped her face, his thumb stroking her jaw. "Have I mentioned how much I like you? Because I do. A lot."

He was such a charmer and nearly impossible to resist. Erin knew she was a goner when he looked at her like this— eyes searing into her like he could read her every thought, see her every desire. So she did the only thing she could do. She closed the distance between them and brought his face down to kiss him. The kiss was hard and bruising and she poured her intentions into it. He responded quickly enough, their mouths moving in sync, pulling out low moans out of her. She grabbed his arms, feeling the hard biceps underneath it and the heat pooled low in her stomach. She was desperate for him so she led the way, both of their lips still connected and both of their bodies blindly stumbling towards her bedroom.

She didn't bother turning on the lights because it meant she would have to disconnect from him for a few seconds. And that was a few seconds too long. When she felt the back of her knees hit her bed, she turned them around and pushed him down, Jay bouncing on the bed. He immediately reached for him, his arms coming around her and Erin met his lips again. She searched for the hem of his shirt— damn, did he look good in just a henley, so different from his usual more formal suits— and she lifted his shirt and tossed it over her shoulders. Her eyes took his sculpted chest and abs in— heaving with want. Her lips found home on his smooth chest, kissing all over, her hands playing along the ridges of his abs. He let out a guttural groan and she felt herself getting wetter by the second. Her hands worked to free him from the obstructive belt and she pulled his pants down and again, tossed the unwanted garment over her shoulders. She was loving this. Loving how he was letting her do whatever she wanted, giving her the control. Usually he was so in control of himself— in the office and boardroom— and she wanted to see him fall apart under her touch.

He whined when she pulled away for a second but quickly quieted down when he realized that she did it to get rid of her own clothes. His eyes glazed over when her shirt and pants joined his clothes on the floor and she was left completely bare. Despite her seemingly confident outward demeanor, she was nervous inside. She had wondered how he'd react to seeing her. Would he see her as beautiful? Or would the images of last night take over? But she met his eyes, heated and dark, and all her nervousness went away. She felt beautiful and desired.

"Come here," he nearly growled as his arms came around her waist and lifted her head. He flipped them around and placed her on the bed, Jay crouching up to lay over her. He nipped the skin on her neck before trailing down to the swells of her breasts, Erin almost purring at how good it felt. She felt him smile on her stomach before he traveled further down, his breath ghosting over her core. "God, you're beautiful," he husked as he parted her legs and kissed her thighs. She was breathing hard, her chest heaving up and down as his mouth worked to give her the utmost pleasure. She almost came when he delved his tongue in and she cried out his name like a prayer. Her hands found their ways into his hair and she gripped it as he continued eating her out. She thought she screamed his name as she came but she was too busy seeing stars to really know. All she knew at the moment was that if he was that much of a godsend with his tongue, she couldn't wait to feel him in her.

He came up to her face, a smug smile on his face at her reaction. She couldn't even blame him. He was amazing and he knew it. So she just thanked him with a kiss. The kiss again quickly became frenzied, their teeth clicking against each other but neither of them care. She felt him against her thigh— hard and aching— and she needed him now. So her hands reached down to hold his cock and she stroked it up and down. Jay hissed, obviously overly sensitive, and she smirked, loving how she could get him to react like this when she had him in the palms of her hands— _literally. _She guided him to her entrance, their lips meeting once again, before Jay slowly entered her. Slowly. Deliberately. Her breath hitched when he buried himself inside her and he stilled, giving her a few seconds to adjust to his size. His hand came up to stroke her face and brush the hair that had fallen on her sweaty forehead. His eyes were cloudy with lust and she was sure her eyes mirrored his. She clenched around him, telling him to move and he complied. He set a rhythm, again slow and torturous, like he wanted the moment to last forever. He sucked the skin along her neck and her legs wound around him, her fingers clawing at his back when the pace fastened.

She whimpered when he hit the right spot. She wanted him to see him lose control but now she was the one losing hers as she pleaded for him to go faster and harder, Jay hitting the same spot over and over again. She dug her nails into his skin as he tugged on her earlobe, all the while he thrusted into her again and again. It was a dilemma— both of them chasing the climax yet never wanted it to end all the same. But when his hips slammed into her a few more times, the fire that was pooling in her abdomen exploded and she shattered around him. She was still light-headed when he began to lose his rhythm and she knew he was close. She clenched around him a couple of times and he exploded, his head tossed back in pleasure as he came. He looked absolutely sinful as he lost all semblance of control, grunting and growling. He fell on top of her as he came down from his climax, still mindful of her to not put his whole weight on her. Instead, he buried his head in the hollows of her neck, breathing out hard into the skin.

She turned her head slightly to kiss his face, her arms coming around him and pulling down his whole weight on her. She wanted him close and she wanted to feel him on her. He was still panting but he managed to lift himself off of her slightly to look at her, both of them smiling. Exhausted. Happy. Their mouths met in a languid kiss, lazily swirling their tongues before he kissed her forehead, Erin's eyes closing at the action.

* * *

She was utterly exhausted yet she had never been happier. She knew sex could be good but she had never imagined that it could be like that. She murmured it into his chest as they laid side by side, her blanket covering them from the night and he just tugged her closer to him, kissing her forehead.

"Me either," he returned her sentiment. "You're amazing." She had been expecting him to give her a smug smile and a retort of how he was the best but this, she wasn't expecting. But she still appreciated all the same. The moment was too intimate and too earth shattering to break it with cheesy jokes.

They drifted in and out of sleep through the night, blissful and euphoric. They were still entangled with each other, their naked bodies flushed up against one another. It was getting too warm but neither of them could bear to move. It was the perfect way to end the perfect night but as Erin woke up from her sleep for a quick minute and saw Jay peacefully sleeping next to her, his chest going up and down in a rhythmic pattern, she couldn't help but think that it was the start of something amazing.

* * *

If someone had asked Jay what was the most amazing moment of his life, he'd say it was the day he made his first million or the day the first game he developed with Mouse was released, or the day JH Tech became a household name with the release of the game console. But all those were before Erin.

Now as he laid awake with her in his arms, all those moments fade in comparison because he could honestly say _this_ was the most amazing moment of his life. Last night had been incredible. The whole yesterday was incredible. They had spent the whole day together, lounging around, unable to keep their hands off of each other before they returned to her apartment, Erin saying how she needed to assess the damage that Jimmy had done. He wasn't expecting them to take things to the next level, he had thought Erin would need more time and he didn't want to push her. But she had taken the initiative and soon enough, they lost all time and notion of their surroundings until all they could see was each other, feel nothing but each other.

A dreamy smile took over his face as he turned to look at her still sleeping away. They had exhausted each other last night and he had the marks on his back to prove it. But it had been worth it because he had never felt like that before. And he knew it wasn't just the sex. It almost felt crude to describe it as sex. It was way beyond that. It was making love, both of them connecting— their bodies and souls. He felt like a dolt thinking something so cheesy but he couldn't deny it to himself. He had never gotten the distinction between sex and making love before but he finally got it. It just took the right person.

There was a voice deep down telling him that Erin was it. She was the right person for now and always but he ignored it. For now, at least. They had just started their relationship and he didn't want to scare her off.

Her eyes began to flutter before they opened, Jay being greeted the hazel of her eyes. When she shook off the sleep and took in her surroundings, a soft smile came across her lips, Jay's heart skipping at seeing something that beautiful first thing in the morning.

"Good morning," her voice sounded especially husky in the morning, driving Jay wild. "How did you sleep?"

"Amazing," he replied, bending down to lay a soft kiss. "Best sleep of my life," he added, stroking her dimples that appeared at his words. "You?"

"Same."

They could've stayed like this in bed forever but his stomach growled, rumbling underneath her hand. She chuckled, scooting away from him. Jay wanted to pull her back into his arms, where she should always be.

"Let me go make some breakfast," she said, pushing him away and reluctantly getting out of bed. "Then we can get ready for work."

He groaned into the pillow, the thought of having to go to work and not spend the whole day in bed with her dismaying him. He had no idea who he was becoming. Usually he loved work, he never missed a day even when he was sick. But now the thought of spending the day with her was way more enticing than anything. At least, she'd be next to him at the office. And he had ideas conjuring in his head about spending some quality time in his office. Especially on his desk.

He stretched his sore body as Erin made breakfast in the kitchen. He didn't get a chance to look around her bedroom last night but now he took in the small room, minimal and clean. He chuckled fondly when he noticed that the only messy part of the room was her closet, being able to see the messiness through the door. He turned to check what time it was, his heart coming to a stop when he noticed the picture that was on the wall.

_Amazing Erin. _

He could barely breathe as the familiar picture stared back at him. She kept the picture? After all these years?

He remembered giving her the picture. He had seen her crying by her locker and he wanted to do anything to make her feel better. He had no idea where her boyfriend was back then or why her friends weren't there to comfort her so he took a chance. He had taken a picture that he had drawn of her and approached her. He thought she needed to know how amazing she was, how beautiful he saw her. He didn't expect her to keep the picture. At all. But she had.

"So I only have instant coffee here but I totally know that you don't even know the difference so…" Erin's voice entered the room and stuttered to a stop when she noticed him standing in front of the picture in his boxers. "Jay?"

He didn't turn, still engrossed in the picture. She walked over to him and gently held his arm. His eyes were glazed over, like he was far away and Erin frowned, wondering what had happened in the short time she had been in the kitchen.

"Are you okay?"

He swallowed, his adam's apple bobbing, and he turned to face her. "You kept it," he breathed out, his voice barely a whisper.

"What?"

"You kept the picture."

Erin looked at the picture of her as a superhero, her cap flowing in the wind. The picture that always gave her strength when she needed it. Reminded her that she was powerful when she felt anything but. Beautiful when she felt down. Then she thought back to the picture she had seen yesterday. Jay was in the comic book club.

"It was you?" she couldn't keep the surprise out of her voice. But now that she had pieced things together, she really shouldn't be that surprised. He had seen her as someone beautiful and strong, even back then. "You're the one that gave me this picture. You drew this for me."

He nodded, meeting her eyes. "Yeah. I can't believe you kept it."

"Yeah," she nodded. "Jay, you have no idea what that picture means to me." She reached out to the picture, her finger trailing the figure. "I kept it because whenever I needed it, it was there to give me strength, telling me to plow ahead. That I could be this strong and fierce." She let out a soft laugh. "I can't believe that it was by you." She reached out to him and held his face in her hands. "Thank you," she said, genuine. "For seeing me like this, even back then. For giving me this picture."

He closed his eyes, pressing his forehead against her. "You're beautiful and fierce. You're amazing, Erin." He pressed a kiss on her lips. "Thank you for keeping it," he mumbled against her lips.

They had breakfast in bed, sipping on coffee and nibbling on toast, but they were stealing kisses in between each bite. Every so often, Jay's eyes would drift over to the picture and looked at it, like he still couldn't believe that she had kept it all this time. She followed his eyesight and when she saw what he was looking at, she held his hand and laced their fingers together.

"You're an amazing artist," Erin voiced, Jay's head turning to meet her gaze. "I'm serious. I"m not just saying it because you made me look beautiful or anything," she quipped. "Do you still draw?"

"Sometimes," Jay replied. "Not as much as I used to. I guess after forming JH Tech, things like that fell to the wayside."

"You should draw more," Erin suggested. She placed the tray of food to the side and she straddled him, bringing her arms around him. "Maybe you can draw me again sometime?" she whispered against his lips. He smiled, his eyes darkened with lust again.

"Like one of the french girls?" he teased, citing the famous line from Titanic. Erin laughed, her chest rumbling against his. "Draw you wearing that necklace?" he held the necklace he had given her. "And nothing else."

She couldn't even pretend to be annoyed at his innuendo before she was crashing her lips onto his, intending to follow through on his suggestion of wearing nothing but the necklace for the foreseeable future.

After their second bout of love making that morning, they laid side by side, gathering their breath. Erin was on her stomach, facing Jay and Jay used his last bit of energy to reach up and brush her hair behind her ears, Erin giving him a lazy smile.

"Can I ask you something?" Erin just nodded, not being able to give a verbal reply just yet. "Why were you crying that day?"

Erin frowned, the memory of that day coming back. "Um, my mom….she took, no she stole my money that I had been saving up for the homecoming dance." His fingers that were trailing on her skin stilled at her answer. "And when I told Landon about it and how I wouldn't be able to go to the homecoming dance, instead of being supportive, he flipped out at me and asked Stephanie to go right in front of me."

"He's an ass!" Jay gritted out, his dislike of the guy evident. She just laughed, agreeing with him. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay. It wasn't your fault." She laced their fingers together again. "Besides, you were the one that cheered me up. Even if I didn't know it back then." She brought his hand up to kiss it and sighed. "I wish I knew you back then."

He remained silent, his eyes locked on hers.

"I wish I had done things a lot differently."

"Don't be," Jay finally spoke. "I was such a loser back then. I'm glad you didn't know that I was alive."

She frowned, her eyebrows narrowing. "You weren't a loser!" she argued. "I'm serious, Jay. I know it may be too late coming from me now and I don't blame you if you think I'm talking out of my ass but you were never a loser. You knew who you were, what you liked and you never attempted to change yourself to fit in. That is what made you who you are today. Trust me Jay, if anyone was the loser here, it's me."

"Never."

"No really," Erin interjected. "I was the one who was ashamed of who I was and felt the need to hide everything." He looked confused and she knew she needed to open up and tell him her version of the story. Her own high school hell. "I don't know who my dad is and my mom, she was never good at taking care of herself. So by the time I was a teenager, I was surfing couches with my friends. And school was the last thing on my mind and believe me, public high schools in my areas weren't exactly the best."

"So how did you end up at St. Ignatius'?"

"I was lucky. I was helped out by someone who gave enough of a damn about me. He worked out a deal with the headmaster to get me a full ride scholarship. On a few conditions, of course. But suddenly I went from going to a run down public high school to this fancy private school with all the rich people. And I knew if people at the school really knew where I came from, I'd never fit in so I came up with this story of how my parents were too busy traveling the world and I was living with my godparents."

"I didn't know."

"No one did. At first anyways. I was hiding who I was and I was hiding behind the popular kids. I thought if I could just stick to Stephanie and Landon, I was protected. If I could just suck it up and be around them, no one would know. But of course, Stephanie found out and she held it over me. Then Landon did and he dumped me, not that it was some big loss or anything. By the time senior year ended, I was just happy as hell to get out of there."

Jay stroked her fingers, comforting her. "Is that why you didn't go to prom?"

She nodded. "Plus I had no money," she explained. "By the time Prom came around, I had none of my so-called friends left, Stephanie was blackmailing me to get Landon and he was too busy screwing every girl that looked his way. Prom was the last thing on my mind."

He took in what she told him and was quiet. Eventually, he pressed a kiss into her hair. "I'm sorry you went through that," he told her, his arms holding her. "I didn't know."

"No one did," she mumbled into his chest. "I made sure of it." She drew her head back to catch his eyes. "I'm sorry about what happened to you too. If I had known, I would've done something to stop it. But I was too caught up with myself and my own drama." She looked down, avoiding his gaze like she was ashamed of what she was about to tell him. "I hate to admit it but I didn't even notice you coming up to me after Prom. I was oblivious to everyone else around me, too busy with my own shit. I'm sorry."

He lifted her chin with his finger so he could look into her eyes. "It's in the past right?" She gave a small nod. "I don't care about the past anymore, Erin. What matters is the right now. Right now, we're here and I couldn't be happier. What matters is the future and I see you and me together in that future. That's all I care about."

Her smile became bigger, her dimples showing once more. She leaned to catch his lips. "Me too."

* * *

It had been two weeks since they had gotten together and it was still practically impossible to pull away from each other in the morning and leave the comfortable bed. But they always made it into the office. Eventually.

Erin had been adamant about keeping their relationship a secret, not wanting people to know that she was dating her boss, so they always arrived at the office separately. Jay would be impressed with how professional Erin was, if he wasn't too busy being tortured by his neverending urge for her. And he just knew she was taking pleasure in how she was able to get him riled up.

Like right now.

She was looking absolutely delicious in her tight pencil skirt and he knew that she had deliberately left the few top buttons of her shirt opened on purpose. She was playing innocent though as she read him his schedule for the day, something something about the meeting being cancelled but he was too consumed by her to pay any attention.

"And the company from San Francisco finally replied. They want to set up a meeting about joining forces together on the V.R thing."

"Uh huh," he said, following her finger that was trailing down her neck down to her chest, playing with the buttons of her shirt. He felt his pants getting tight and he stood up, going around his desk and sitting on the edge of it, his legs crossed. He saw her eyes flickered over to him, and noticed her little smirk when she noticed him getting hard. She was a minx and she was driving him crazy.

"That's your itinerary for today," she finished and closed her tablet. "If that's all then." She turned to leave but he reached for her, pulling her to his chest. She yelped in surprise at the sudden move but made no attempt to get out of his hold.

"The office door is locked right?" he mumbled into her neck as his fingers worked to release the damn buttons on her shirt.

"Uh-huh," she sounded breathless as he cupped her breasts and she grinded down on him, Jay's breath hitching into her ears.

"Good," he managed to get out before he turned her around and kissed her hard. Her arms automatically came around his neck and she returned the kiss, just as hard.

Then it was a frenzy of kisses and tugging of clothes. He had pulled her shirt off, leaving her in her bra and she had managed to get him out of his jacket and shirt. He turned them around so Erin was half sitting on the desk, her leg wound around him. He hiked her skirt up, his hands kneading her thigh. He nipped at her collarbone before kissing the top of her breasts, Erin's hands releasing him from his pants. It was hurried and frantic and it was just what they needed as Jay's fingers pushed her lace underwear aside and entered her, causing Erin to gasp. He could hear that sound forever, he realized.

Then it was a mix of grunts and mewls as he buried himself inside her, her legs tugging him close to her. It was all hard thrusts and bruising kisses to keep their moans quiet and he groaned into her neck when they reached their peak together, both of them breathing hard.

He nuzzled her nose as he tried to regain his breath and the only thing that was on his mind was that he'd never be able to see his desk the same way again.

Sometimes later, they found their way onto the sofa that was in his office, Erin lying on top of him, their chest heaving with happy exhaustion. He kissed the top of her head, loving how she felt on top of him and never wanting her to move away.

"I think we just broke all the rules in the employee guidelines," she joked.

He chuckled, playing with her hair. "It's okay. I know the CEO. I'll make sure you won't get fired." She lightly smacked his chest before resting her head on it. He looked down at her, happiness on his face. He didn't think he'd stopped smiling ever since he'd been with her. He pushed her hair behind her ears before his finger brushed over her lips. She smiled at the touch, lightly nipping his fingers with her lips.

They were blissfully in that honeymoon phase of their relationship where they couldn't get enough of each other. They were too consumed with each other. And all Jay knew as he continued to look at her, taking in all of her beauty, was that he knew he'd never be able to get enough of her.

* * *

"Good morning Trudy," Jay greeted the longtime employee as he passed her in the hallway.

"Whoa whoa whoa!" Trudy said, stopping both of them in their tracks. "What's with you?"

Jay quirked his eyebrows. "What?"

"I've been working here ever since you started JH Tech and never once did you greet me with a good morning," Trudy explained, her eyes suspicious. "Not to mention, that goofy grin on your face and there's something different about you. You almost seem…._happy_."

"What?" Jay asked, smiling.

"See! There's that dopey smile again!" Trudy said, pointing to his face. "Are you okay? DId you have a stroke that we didn't know about and somehow it changed your personality?"

Jay schooled his face and glared at Trudy. She was lucky that she was a longtime friend of his mother and somehow thought that she could talk to him however she wanted. But he liked the woman. She was blunt and sarcastic but she was original, that was for sure. But still, he didn't appreciate her calling him out. Especially if Erin was determined to keep their relationship a secret for now.

"Let's just get back to work now Trudy."

She mocked saluted him. "Yes sir!"

Jay just shook his head and resumed back to his office.

"Hey Jay," Trudy called out, Jay turning around to look at her. "It's good to see you like this. For whatever reason." She winked at him and for a second, he wondered just how much Trudy knew about what had him smiling like a happy idiot.

He pondered that on his way back to his office, the so-called dopey smile back on his face as soon as he saw Erin sitting at her desk, focused on her work. She was gorgeous when she was focused on something, her eyes concentrating on the file and her tongue sticking out a little as she alternated between the different screens on the computer. She noticed his arrival and she looked up, their eyes meeting from across the room. Her face split into a shy smile when she saw him, her eyes softening at his presence. He felt his heart immediately warmed just by the sight of her and he knew Trudy was right.

He looked goofy. He looked dopey. But all that mattered was that he was happy.

And it was all because of her.


	6. Part VI

Chapter 6

"Someone looks happy."

Jay looked up from his screen and found a smirking Mouse walking into his office, a cheeky glint in his eyes. Jay tried to ignore his best friend and returned his attention back to his work but Mouse plopped himself down on the chair in front of Jay's desk and rested his elbow on the table. He bent his head down to catch Jay's attention, the damn smirk still pasted on his face. Jay continued to ignore him, knowing that there was nothing good that can come out of actually talking to Mouse.

"Oh come on, are you really going to act like I'm not here?" Mouse finally had enough and exploded. Jay sighed, removing his glasses and laying it down on the table, before finally giving his attention to Mouse.

"Can I help you with something?" Jay asked, keeping his voice flat.

"Yeah actually," Mouse started, feigning seriousness. "So I want to send some flowers to Erin for helping me out with the meeting a couple of days ago but the only problem is that her boyfriend is kind of a jealous ass and I really don't want to piss him off because he's also kinda my boss. Any advice?"

Jay shot Mouse an unamused glare, his mouth pulled tight and Mouse just laughed. "Erin loves daisies right?" Mouse continued. "Yeah I think daisies are a good idea. Maybe even a card that says "to the most beautiful woman I know."

"I hate you," Jay retorted flatly.

Mouse got in a few more laughs at Jay's expense. "Ah, I'm just playing around, man," Mouse said, enjoying Jay's reaction to his joke. "But I do want to send her some flowers. Just want to give you a heads up so you don't start plotting my death or something."

Jay scoffed. "Please. I am not a jealous person."

"Sure sure. I won't mention what happened when you thought Ruzek liked Erin," Mouse replied, placating Jay. "But seriously though, you look happy. I take it things are going well in paradise?"

Jay's face softened and he smiled, unable to hide his happiness. "Yeah. Things are...amazing."

Mouse returned a smile, happy to see his friend so happy. "That's great. I'm really happy for you guys."

Jay nodded, the two best friends exchanging a nice moment. "So I'm thinking of taking Erin to the meeting in San Francisco."

"Yeah?"

"And I don't know, I was thinking that maybe we can stay there a few extra days…"

"You mean like a vacation?" Mouse asked, surprised. He leaned back on the chair and the smirk returned to his face. "Jay Halstead, are you actually taking a vacation? Mixing business with pleasure? What is happening to you, man?"

Jay rolled his eyes, already regretting telling Mouse. "I knew I shouldn't have said anything."

Mouse was clearly getting a kick out of seeing his best friend like this— flustered and annoyed. "Nah man. I'm just playing around. So you want to take Erin to San Francisco. When are you going to ask her?"

"Tonight."

* * *

"Wow, this is a super nice place," Erin commented as they entered the sky bar on the rooftop, overlooking the Chicago skyline. Jay pulled out the seat and helped Erin sit. "What's the occasion, Jay?" Erin questioned, watching her boyfriend with raised eyebrows and a bemused grin.

"No special occasion," Jay replied, taking his own seat across the table and reaching over to hold Erin's hands. "Just wanted to do something nice for my girl."

Erin let out an impressed hum, loving the way 'my girl' sounded coming from Jay's lips. "I feel like I should've dressed better," Erin said, glancing around and seeing all the other women dressed in more fashionable dresses. She was just in her usual work clothes— a button down with a pencil skirt. Jay had whisked her away here right after work and she didn't have time to go home and change into something nicer.

"You look beautiful," Jay told her, brushing his fingers on her hands. "Just perfect."

Erin rolled her eyes, knowing that he was biased. The truth was that she didn't really feel comfortable in fancy places like this. Erin Lindsay at an exclusive sky bar where a drink cost more than her weekly grocery bill? That wasn't her. She much preferred just spending a quiet night at home— either at her or Jay's place, or even going out for dinner at one of those hole in the wall restaurants with questionable health grades but amazing food. But she found out from setting up dates for Jay before they got together that this was common for him and places like these were where he usually took his dates. The thing was that Erin wasn't like the previous girls Jay had dated or had arrangements with. She wasn't an actress, or a model or even famous on Instagram. She was just….Erin. But she knew Jay had been doing things _her _way since they started their relationship and if this was _his_ thing then she could suck it up for a night and do it for him.

"So what's good here?" Erin asked, looking over the small menu.

"Uh people don't really come here for the food," Jay explained. Erin lifted her eyebrows, waiting for him to elaborate more. "More so for the views and the drinks."

Erin nodded at his explanation, feeling embarrassed. "I see."

"We can go somewhere else later for dinner," Jay offered. "Don't worry I wasn't planning on starving you. I know how you can get when you're hungry." Erin dropped her mouth, insulted, and she leaned over to smack him on the chest. Jay just laughed, grabbing her hand and intertwining their fingers together. "It's okay, I love feeding you."

"You make me sound like a pig," Erin mumbled, pouting. Jay just dropped his eyes, teasing. Erin pulled her hand out of his grasp. "See if you get lucky tonight then Halstead." Jay shot his head up and immediately reached for her hands again. But they both knew it was just a joke. Erin knew there was no way she'd be able to resist Jay and withholding sex with Jay was just punishment to herself and she was no masochist.

After they got their drinks and Erin was feeling more comfortable in the fancy setting, Jay had sought out for her hands again, looking like he had something to say to her.

"What's wrong?" Erin asked, joining their hands together, wondering what was on his mind.

Jay gave her a soft smile, reassuring her that it wasn't anything bad. "I'm going to that meeting in San Francisco."

"Yeah," Erin replied, wondering where he was going with this. After all, she was the one who set up the meeting for him. She did think about him going away on the business trip, knowing that it would be the first time they'd be apart for more than a couple of hours since they got together. She knew she'd miss him and for a minute, she wanted to hit herself for being such a clingy person. Who knew? When did she become a girl that can't bear to be away from her boyfriend for a day or two? What was he doing to her?

"And I was thinking of staying there for a few more days after the meeting."

Erin frowned, feeling her heart drop at hearing that he was going to be away from her for even longer than expected. But she nodded all the same, knowing there was no way she'd stop him from doing his job. That was a pact she made to herself when she decided to give this thing a real shot with Jay. That no matter what, her position in his life as his girlfriend wouldn't interfere with his career.

She latched their fingers together again, the two hands joined over the candle lit table. "I'm going to miss you," she told him, letting herself be vulnerable around him and letting him know her feelings.

Jay's eyes lit up at her confession and he tightened his hold on her hand. "What if you don't have to?" Erin gave him a confused look and he continued. "I was thinking that maybe you can come with me to San Francisco. The meeting will only be one day and I was thinking that after the meeting, we can stay for a few days and just spend time with each other."

"Really?" Erin bit her lips, thinking over his offer. Spending a few days in a different location with Jay sounded incredible. A few days of just spending time with him without having to worry about being professional or running into someone they know from work sounded just absolutely wonderful to Erin. "But are you sure you can take a few days off? I mean there's the whole thing with the Bears coming up and the summit next month and…"

"Erin," Jay cut her off, squeezing her hand to get her attention back. "Don't worry about anything else. What I want is to spend a few days in the sun with my girlfriend, not worried about work or anything else. What about you?"

"That sounds perfect," Erin replied, Jay looking pleased with her answer. "I can't wait. I've never been outside of Chicago and I've always wanted to go to California and see the ocean." Erin continued, sounding more and more excited by the minute at the idea.

Jay grinned, loving her reaction. If she was this excited over a small trip to San Francisco, then he could only imagine how she'd react to a more extravagant trip like to Europe or an island in the Carribean. He found himself wanting to take her everywhere in the world, could see them going on all sorts of adventures in exotic locales. He wanted to take her anywhere she wanted to go if it meant she'd smile the way she was smiling right now.

They quickly finished their drinks and Jay had the genius idea of grabbing some food on the way home, knowing that it was how Erin wanted to spend the night. He knew that Erin wasn't the type of girl that needed to be wined and dined in fancy places but he still wanted to do these things for her. Take the time to show her that she was special and deserved to know that she deserved the good things in life.

They decided on just grabbing a whole pizza to go and headed back to his place, walking back hand in hand. He was just so content whenever he was with Erin. He didn't feel like he had to put up some sort of an act just because he was wealthy and owned a successful company. Or that he needed to act like someone else because he had been featured in magazines and websites. He was just Jay around her and he loved it. He'd reckon the only other person who might've been more happy about his relationship with Erin would be Antonio. His trusty right hand man who was getting more time off than ever— with full pay of course— because Jay had taken to driving him and Erin to and from work more, even if Erin had him park a few blocks away to drop her off so others wouldn't find out that they were together.

As soon as they got back home, Erin immediately headed for the couch and plopped herself down, kicking off her heels. He loved just how at ease she looked at his place like she belonged there always. He took off his jacket and loosened a few top buttons before joining her on the couch, sighing contently when she burrowed into his side as soon as he sat down. They just continued to cuddle on the couch, Jay only moving slightly to turn on something on television, a background noise that neither really paid attention to and their pizza remained forgotten on the counter. They were just too lazy and too happy to move an inch, their arms wrapped around each other.

"I love this," Erin murmured into his shirt after a few minutes of silence. "I can just spend every night like this and I'll be the happiest girl in the world."

Jay's face split into a wide smile and he dropped a kiss onto the side of her head, her words kickstarting the butterflies in his stomach. "Me too," he returned, just imagining himself spending all of their nights just like this and knowing that he'd be the happiest person on earth.

* * *

A couple of days later, his private plane had touched down at SFO and an excited Erin and Jay had arrived in San Francisco. Jay had his Spider convertible that he used when he was in SF waiting for them as soon as they stepped off the tarmac, ready to take them around in perfect style for the Sunny state.

"Can I ask you something?" Erin asked as they drove down the Pacific Coast Highway, views of the ocean passing them by. Their hair was blowing in the wind, the sun shining down on their faces and Erin was relaxing back in the leather seat, absently running her fingers through Jay's hair.

"Mmm," Jay hummed, his eyes remaining on the windy road. "What's up?"

"How come you didn't set up your company here? I thought all tech companies were supposed to be in Silicon Valley. Why did you stay in Chicago?"

"Uh," Jay started, thinking over his answer. "I guess it just comes down to Chicago being home for me. I mean, did me and Mouse think about having our startup here? Sure. So did every other nerd from MIT." Jay chuckled. "But in the end, we didn't want to be away from our family. And we knew that we had something good to offer even from Chicago."

"Something like if you build it, they will come?"

Jay laughed. "Something like that."

"So you're close to your family?"

Jay shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. I mean me and my mom, we've always been close. But as for my father and Will…" Jay trailed off. Erin thought of Will and how she didn't even realize that he and Jay were related until she saw Will in the office again. In high school, Will was king. He was athletic, good looking and smart and he had a confident aura to him that got everyone hanging onto his every word. And no one knew that he had a brother attending the same school as him. She remembered Jay saying something about Will making sure that no one found out that they were related, the latter being embarrassed of him. Once again, Erin became saddened by what Jay had to endure in high school.

She brought her hand down and laced her fingers with his that was resting on the gear stick, Jay turning his head to look at her. She gave him a small smile— understanding and apologetic. "I get it," she told him, letting him know that if it was hard for him to talk about his tumultuous relationship with his brother and dad, he didn't need to.

"No, it's fine," Jay reassured her. "I mean we didn't get along at first because you know….Will being ashamed of me and my dad...he always favored him. He was always praising Will because he turned out exactly how my dad thought his son should. Me on the other hand, not so much. I wasn't very athletic, didn't have a lot of friends, and spent my time locked in my room playing games." Erin remained quiet, listening to Jay letting her in. "But uh, we're better now. We're not gonna go on Halstead men fishing trips anytime soon but things are good between us."

Erin squeezed his hand, bringing it up to kiss it. "I'm glad, Jay." Jay took his eyes off the road to pull Erin into his side, Erin leaning over in the small car, and she was sure he got a mouthful of her hair when he kissed her head as they continued their drive down the ocean.

* * *

Erin knew that she was in for a treat as soon as she saw the view from Jay's penthouse that he owned in San Francisco. Well, maybe on the other hand, luxury penthouses like this were just common things for him but Erin had never been in such an extravagant place before. The living room had a balcony that looked out to a sweeping view of the Pacific Ocean and the Golden Gate bridge, not to mention the panoramic views of the ocean. Erin could feel the ocean breeze and hear the waves of the ocean as soon as she stepped out to the balcony, her sundress blowing in the wind. She rested her arms on the railing and took in the view, never having seen the large ocean before. It was so beautiful, the big body of azure and the massive red structure that spanned across San Francisco and Marin County.

Jay came up from behind her and looped his arms around her waist, nuzzling into her neck. She leaned back into his hard chest, joining his hands that were on her waist.

"It's so beautiful, Jay," she gushed, as they both enjoyed the view. Jay just hummed his agreement, his head still buried in her neck to pay attention to the view. She giggled when he murmured how he'd rather look at her than the ocean. Her sweet talker. But it wasn't as though she even thought about moving away from him, far too busy having him around her.

After a couple of more minutes, Erin decided that she had enough of looking out at the blue water for now and that she'd rather look into the blues of her boyfriend's eyes. She shifted so she could turn around in his arms, her arms going around his neck and she connected their lips together, feeling Jay's mouth curve around hers.

"Thank you for bringing me here, Jay," she spoke against his lips, Jay landing kisses in between her words. "I love it." He gave her forehead one last peck before reluctantly pulling away from her, Erin immediately missing the heat of his body.

"I have dinner reservations in about an hour so we should get ready," Jay said, looking at his watch. Erin groaned, muttering something about wanting to just stay right here and not move. Jay chuckled, kissing her cheeks. "I promise. It'll be worth it. Then we could come right back here and finish the night off the right way," Jay said, dropping his voice low and lifted his brow suggestively.

"Mmm, now that sounds like a plan," Erin agreed, giving him a quick kiss before heading back in the room to get ready.

* * *

It seemed as though Jay had predicated Erin's love for the ocean correctly because he had made reservations at a restaurant right underneath the Oakland Bridge, his name and status getting them the best seats in the house— a private table right by the ocean front.

Jay felt the wind knocked out of him as soon as he saw Erin come out of the bathroom in a killer red dress, the dress stopping at her thighs at the right length and the deep v giving him a preview of what was hidden underneath. Jay had half a mind to completely skip dinner and rip the dress right off of her and spend the night making love, food be damned. But Erin smirked, loving the reaction she got out of him and reading the thoughts that were running in his head, and she lightly patted his chest, leaning in close enough for him to feel her lips ghost over his and telling him that they didn't want to be late for the reservation.

Jay fidgeted in his seat, his eyes still clouded with lust, as he eyed Erin browsing the menu with a bite to her lips. She was driving him crazy and he was pretty sure she was doing it on purpose.

"Mmm oysters sound good. Aren't oysters supposed to be aphrodisiacs?" Erin tossed the question to the waiter, who was too busy eyeing her to take their orders. Jay cleared his throat loudly to snap the waiter's attention back, his irritation growing at how openly the waiter was gawking at his girl.

"Uh sorry," the waiter had the decency to blush at being caught checking Erin out. "Y..yeah. Oysters. They're the best. House specialty."

"Then we should definitely get some. Right, babe?" Erin asked him, a hint of smirk on her lips. Jay swallowed hard, thinking how he didn't need any oysters to act as an aphrodisiac right now. Erin in that dress was plenty enough. But he knew that Erin was playing with him, challenging to see how much he could handle and he was never one to back down.

"Right, babe," he drawled. "Sounds good," he drawled, winking at her. He was pleased when he noticed a hint of blush forming on her cheeks. The waiter still had his eyes glued on Erin, his eyes suspiciously at the perfect angle to get a peek down her dress and Jay growled, snapping the waiter's attention back to him just in time to meet Jay's glare. He gulped, knowing that he had been caught checking out Erin and the poor guy pretty much cowered. Smartly, the waiter just took their order and left them quickly. Erin giggled and sent a heated look at Jay across the table.

"That poor waiter," Erin commented when the waiter came back with their food, unable to make eye contact with Erin, quickly scurrying back.

"Maybe he shouldn't be gawking at the diners especially in front of their boyfriends," Jay suggested, halting a bit when Erin directed her glare on him. He sighed. "I'll make sure to tip extra big to make things up."

"You know you can't always throw money at a problem to make it go away."

"Of course not," Jay shrugged. "That's why I also have my charm," he quipped, winking.

Erin tried to keep her face stern but she couldn't maintain it longer, breaking out into a laugh. "Shut up!" she retorted, the amused expression still on her face. Jay just smiled innocently back.

Just a couple of hours later, they found out just how well Jay's charms worked as they stumbled back into his penthouse, lips locked on each other, pawing at each other's clothes trying to get rid of them as fast as possible. Jay attached his lips to her neck while his hands searched for the zipper of her dress, tugging it down as soon as his hands made contact with the cold metal. The dress fell in a heap and pooled around her feet, Erin stumbling blindly to step out of it and kicked it to the side. Then his suit and his shirt were next to go before Erin worked to pull his belt off and his pants went the same way as her dress.

He lifted her up, hands on her backside, and he carried them over to the bedroom a few feet away. The open window in the room allowed for just the moonlight to peek in, illuminating Erin in a glow that made her even more beautiful to Jay. She looked ethereal and Jay voiced his inner thoughts with kisses up and down her body, finding them more efficacious than just words. Erin let out a soft mewl as they connected, Jay once again amazed at how their bodies seemed to be made for one another.

It was the perfect way to spend their first night of vacation— making love with only the moon as their witness.

* * *

The second day was the day of the meeting so even though their bodies were sore and tired from the previous night, they both got up before the sun had even risen to prepare for the meeting. Erin had made both of them coffee and some breakfast while Jay poured over the notes for the meeting at the table.

"Thanks babe," Jay said as he drank the coffee, letting the caffeine do its magic early in the morning.

Erin just kissed his cheek in reply before bending her head down to take a closer look at the notes. "You got this!" She could see how important this meeting was for Jay, his longtime vision to develop a true Virtual Reality game like no other depending on getting this start-up company to sign on with JH Tech to further develop the program.

"Yeah," Jay sighed, taking his glasses off for a bit to massage his nose bridge. "They may be a start-up company but they have a lot of other interested companies in their tech. I have to convince them to go with us."

Erin stood behind him and started massaging his shoulders, feeling the tension under her hands. Jay let out a content sigh, tossing his head back and closing his eyes at her touch. She wrapped her arms around his neck and brought herself closer to him, her finger coming up to lightly trace his face. "You'll be great. I just know it." She encouraged him, giving him a soft kiss to reiterate her point.

* * *

Jay was having a difficult time remembering why he was so worried before because the meeting was going so well. It was like the two parties just got each other, ideas flowing behind the people at the table. It helped that the start-up consisted of two guys in their twenties, just starting to launch their company. It reminded Jay of him and Mouse a decade ago, still two idealistic newbies, freshly graduated from MIT with nothing but big ideas and a vision. They worked like hell to get to where they were now and Jay could see himself in the two men sitting across the table from him.

"Everything sounds awesome," Mark, one of the guys in the start-up, stated, his face looking excited. "I got to say, me and Liam were stoked when we heard that JH tech was interested in our V.R program. We're big fans. Like we totally look up to you and Mouse."

Jay smiled. "I'm a fan of your program. You guys have the most advanced V.R tech out in the market right now. And if you give us the licensing for the tech, we can start incorporating that tech for our next game."

"That sounds freaking awesome!" Liam gushed, sounding every bit like an idealistic dreamer in his twenties.

"We still have a few offers to listen to but at this point, I don't even know why we're meeting with them," Mark said, exchanging looks with Liam who agreed. "We seem to be on the same page with a lot of the things. But the only thing we're worried about is that we're just a start-up and we're just one of many here in the Silicon Valley."

"What's the problem with that?"

Mark bit his lips. "It's just...we're worried that the start-up might not get the full attention if we go exclusively with JH Tech. I mean don't get us wrong, your company is well-known but we're afraid that our company's name might get buried."

Jay frowned, his eyebrows knitting as he listened to Mark's concerns. He guessed he could understand why they were worried. Starting a company was hard, especially when there was a lot of competition. He could see why they'd think that JH Tech would get all the attention in the press. He felt Erin squeezed his hands under the table and he looked over at her, Erin gesturing with her eyes to encourage him, telling him that he got this.

"I understand Mark," Jay began. "But with JH Tech, you'll be guaranteed to get the most press. Even if you go with multiple companies other than us, you won't get nearly as much attention in the media."

"Just think of it like this, Mark," Erin spoke up, "If you get into an exclusive contract with JH Tech, people will know that your start-up is going places right away. I mean it's not like JH Tech just get into business with any random start-up. Not to mention, I'm sure as gamers yourself you understand just how much hype and anticipation we get everytime we release a game. You've seen people line up for hours for midnight releases before right? You've probably already stood in lines for them a few times even?"

Mark and Liam exchanged looks and chuckled, nodding. "Yeah. Guilty."

"Sometimes it's not about the quantity, it's the quality that matters," Erin continued the pitch. "Your contract with JH Tech will be worth more than any other contracts with any other companies you can come up with."

"And that's a promise I can make," Jay finished.

Mark and Liam took in the information and whispered among one another. "Okay," Liam said. "Okay let's do business then!" Jay smiled and nodded, shaking hands with the two guys to complete their deal.

A couple of hours later, Jay and Erin had decided to celebrate the successful meeting with a stroll down the Golden Gate bridge, just in time for the sunset. They walked the walkway, hand in hand, as cars passed them by. But they were in their own world, at their own pace, slowly walking on the bridge, the water below them.

"You're amazing, you know that?" Jay finally spoke, breaking their peaceful silence with his compliment. Erin took her eyes off from the water to look at him, meeting his eyes there were gazing at her like she was something beautiful to admire. She blushed under his stare and the weight of his words, especially since he sounded so sincere. "I mean it," he added, squeezing her hand to emphasize his point.

"Yeah? And what amazing thing have I supposedly done today?" Erin teased.

"You were awesome in the meeting. I mean, you're the one who convinced them to sign with us exclusively. You just...you just have this way with people. I don't even know how to say it. But everyone just….they all succumb to your charm," Jay explained, still gazing at her with stars in his eyes.

"Please," Erin chuckled, a bit uncomfortably, at his compliment. Despite his viewpoint of her, she didn't think she was amazing. At least not as much as Jay saw her. "You killed in the meeting. You were the amazing one."

"But Mark and Liam signed because of what you said. Same as Mr. Phillips with the Bears."

She squeezed his hand right back, getting his full attention. "Jay, you got to give yourself more credit. You were the one who got Mark and Liam to sign with you. You were the one who convinced them that your company is the best. You. I just added a few truthful words in your favor. I hardly did anything."

"How about this then," Jay asked. "We make a great team."

Erin smiled, her dimples on full display. "That I can agree with." They stopped their walk for a bit to connect their lips in a sweet kiss, Erin smiling at the gesture. Jay pulled his head back and gazed down at her, his eyes troubled. Erin frowned, wondering why he was looking at her in that way. "What's wrong?"

Jay shook his head like he was shaking himself out of his thoughts. Erin squeezed the hand she was still holding. "Tell me, you can tell me anything Jay."

Jay sighed, his free hand coming up to cup her face gently. "Sometimes I wonder if I'm holding you back."

Erin frowned, wondering what he was talking about. "What?"

"I've seen you in action a couple of times now. You can be extremely persuasive and you have this way of connecting with people, make them see your vision. You should be promoted, taking these big meetings." Erin's heart thudded at the thought of taking another position, being away from Jay. That was the last thing she wanted. Despite Jay saying that she would be great at meeting more clients, it wasn't what she was interested in. At least not right now. Jay stroked her face, pulling her out of her thoughts again. "I'm being selfish because I want to keep you by my side and don't want to let you go. But you have so much potential Erin. You could be doing even more amazing things."

Erin gripped Jay's hand that was on her face and held his gaze. "I'm already doing what I love, Jay. I'm happy. Really really happy," she started, the thought of leaving his side too much for her. She was truly happy and content for the first time in her life as far as she remembered and she didn't want to make any changes. She loved that he wanted more for her, wanted to push her to meet her potential and if the promotion that he had in mind— the position— was something she was truly interested in, she'd take it but it wasn't.

"I'm really happy too, Erin. But I want to put you first."

Erin smiled and pulled his head down for a kiss. "You already do." Really, he had. In more ways than she could count. Jay was always making sure she had everything she needed, that she was taking care of herself and in the short time that they had been together, Erin had never felt more cared for and taken care of before.

"How about this?" Erin began, working on a compromise that they could both live with. "I meant what I said. I'm happy and I love what I do. I love that I can be by your side, next to you, and I don't want to leave. And it's not like I can't do both my job and be involved in meetings anyway. I mean I've already have a couple of times right? That's what I want to keep doing. I don't want to leave for another position."

Jay nodded, still thumbing her face. "But promise me something?" Erin nodded. "If you ever want anything more or if you're not happy anymore, tell me."

"Not likely."

"Erin," Jay stressed and waited for her to make him the promise.

"Okay," she gave in, understanding that he needed the promise from her. Her hands came up to hold his face, just like he was holding her. "I promise Jay, if I ever want something more than be your assistant, then I'll tell you." Jay smiled, nodding and accepting her promise. "But I'm telling you, it's not likely to happen. We make too great of a team for me to want anything else."

Jay grinned before sealing the promise with a kiss. "Come on, it's almost sunset." Jay pulled her hand and led her to an empty spot by the railings. Erin leaned on the railings, Jay standing right behind her and he felt her shivered from the heavy wind. He took off his blazer and wrapped it around her, since she was only in a button down, her attire from the meeting, and he wrapped his arms around her, keeping her warm. Her hair was blowing wildly in his face but Jay just smiled, enjoying the smell of her shampoo that wafed from the strands.

Erin let out a breathless gasp, clutching his hands, as the golden tones of the sun setting mixed with the calm blues of the ocean. Despite the beauty of the sun slowly dropping behind the ocean, Jay thought it paled in comparison to the look of wonderment on Erin's face, her beauty made even more beautiful from the warm glow of the sunset. He kissed the side of her head, resting his head on hers for a bit and just taking the time to enjoy the feel of her skin on his, nuzzling her.

"It's so beautiful, Jay," she whispered as she leaned into his embrace.

Jay smiled into the curve of her neck. "You're beautiful."

* * *

It was the first full day they had to themselves in San Francisco and Jay had surrendered all the plan making to Erin. She was determined to explore the city like a tourist and despite Jay hating the touristy spots and having been to most of them, he relented, unable to refuse her when she looked that excited.

So he pulled into the parking lot of the Fisherman's wharf, Erin's eyes bulging at the price of parking. He knew that it'd just the first of many times throughout the day Erin would find out just how expensive San Francisco could be.

"So what's the first on your agenda?" Jay asked as they walked down the pier. "Get some clam chowder? Go see the sea lions? Shop around?"

"Hmmm, all of the above?" Erin replied, sheepishly, knowing that Jay wasn't too fond of doing the touristy things. But it was her first time and she wanted the full experience, right down to the matching souvenir sweatshirts she spotted a few couples wearing. She began plotting to get Jay into one of those, eyeing him in his leather jacket that looked like it was made for him and his hair hidden by his baseball cap. He was the definition of 'casually hot'. She loved seeing him like this. Despite her love for Jay in one of his nice suits, seeing him dress down in just a simple white tee, his leather jacket and a cap got her heated up just how hot her boyfriend was.

Jay rolled his eyes playfully as she dragged him by hand to pier 39 where the sea lions congregated, Jay already hearing the noises that were coming from them. Erin giggled as she found a spot right in front of them, leaning on the banister to get a closer look at the creatures. Jay brought his arms around her and rested them on the wooden railings, enclosing her with his stance.

"Aww they're so adorable," Erin cooed, as the sea lions lounged around on the many wooden platforms in the water, just grunting and barking as they laid lazily.

"Sure," Jay retorted. "They smell nice too." He wrinkled his nose at the smell and made a face, Erin rolling her eyes at him.

"Yeah, they also sound like you when you first wake up," Erin tossed back, giving him a smirk and a quirk of her eyebrows as she looked back at him.

"Oh is that so?" Jay returned with a glint in his eyes as he poked her in the sides of her stomach, tickling her. She squealed, squirming in place to get away from his ticklish hands, laughing out loud. "How about now? Do I still sound like that?" Jay teased, still tickling her.

"Okay okay, I give up," Erin surrendered, too ticklish to hold up any longer. "You sound sexy when you wake up, babe." Jay relented, just hugging her stomach instead. "Hmm," Erin sighed, catching her breath.

"Say it again," Jay whispered against her cheek.

"You sound sexy when you wake up," Erin repeated. She turned in his arms and brought her arms around his neck. "Although I bet you that you'll look the sexiest if you have on one of those sweatshirts." Erin gestured to a sweatshirt with 'San Francisco' written in neon letters that a guy was wearing a few feet away from them. Jay wrinkled his nose, making his disagreement known. "Oh come on," Erin pouted, "We could both get one and we'll be matching."

"Yeah, that makes it sound better," Jay replied, flatly. "I'm not wearing one of those embarrassing sweatshirts like I'm a tourist."

"But Jay, I am a tourist," Erin argued. "Please? For me?"

Jay kissed her pout away and Erin grinned, thinking she got him to do it. "Sorry babe. Not in this lifetime," Jay said, pecking her nose as he began to walk off. Erin glared at his back, even more determined to get him in a sweatshirt by the end of the day.

* * *

"Aww, the tickets are all sold out for the next few days," Erin said dejectedly as they stood by the ticket booth for Alcatraz Island.

"Yeah, you have to buy the tickets online several days in advance. Otherwise they sell out quickly," one of the ladies who overheard Erin informed them. "Sorry dear."

Erin just nodded sadly at the woman. Going to Alcatraz was her biggest wish for the trip, hearing so many great things about the tour. But it looked as though she was out of luck as the tickets were no longer available, both online and in person. Jay brought his arm around her and tugged her to him, noticing her sadness.

"Sorry babe."

Erin shrugged, giving him a small smile. "I guess it's just not meant to be." Jay hated seeing Erin like this. If Alcatraz was accessible for private boats, he'd already chartered a yacht for her but sadly, the only way onto the Rock was by going on a tour.

"Wait here for a minute," Jay told her as he walked off. "I'll be back!"

Erin frowned in confusion as her boyfriend left in a hurry, not telling her where he was going or why he was running off suddenly. Erin could only watch the back of his head as he disappeared into the crowd. She sighed and looked around for something to do to let the time go back as she waited for Jay's return.

She browsed around the several gift shops nearby, thinking about buying some souvenirs for Annie and Caitlin. Annie collected magnets and Erin was debating between two when she saw Jay came back, searching around for her right outside the shop.

"Jay," Erin called out, eyeing the bag he had in his hands. "What's going on?"

Jay walked over to her, his face in an excited grin, and he handed her the bag. "Here."

"What's this?" Erin asked him, suspiciously.

"Look inside and find out," Jay instructed with a roll of his eyes. Erin looked at him warily before reaching inside the bag, her hand instantly making contact with the soft materials. She smiled, knowing exactly what he had gotten her before she even pulled it out.

"You got me the sweatshirt," she gasped as she pulled out the black sweatshirt with the neon block letters.

"No, I got _us_ the sweatshirts," Jay corrected as he pulled out his own. Erin giggled, touched at how he got them both matching sweatshirts, knowing how he despised it but did it to cheer her up.

"You're the best," Erin raved as she pulled the sweatshirt over her head, the material engulfing her. She eyed him, waiting for him to put his on and he sighed, pulling off his leather jacket and putting the sweatshirt on over his head. Erin beamed and rewarded his sweet gesture with a kiss. "You look hot, babe," she whispered against his face before kissing him again. "Thank you for trying to cheer me up."

"That's not the only reason why I got us these so fashionable attires." Erin looked at him, confused. Her eyes widened with surprise when he pulled out two tickets to Alcatraz from his pants.

"Oh my god!" Erin shouted. "Where did you get the tickets?"

"I knew how much you wanted to see Alcatraz and there's no way I was leaving without getting you what you wanted so I bought the tickets off of a couple."

"Jay," she said softly, amazed at what he did for her. "I can't believe you did this."

"Yeah well, I don't like seeing you sad and if there was something I could do to see you smile, then I'll do whatever it takes."

Erin could melt, her heart falling even more for this perfect guy. How did she get so lucky to get a boyfriend like Jay, she'd never know but she wasn't going to take him for granted.

"Thank you," she told him again, Jay grinning as he leaned in to meet her lips. "You're amazing."

"I know," he said, eyes sparkling at seeing her happy. "Come on, we have a ferry to catch."

The ferry ride to Alcatraz wasn't long but Erin was perfectly content with staying in Jay's arms as the ferry took them to their destination. She loved feeling the wind on her face, even her dislike for cold weather didn't deter her mood. She loved watching the water underneath the ferry but what she loved even more was the protective hold Jay had on her from behind and the soft kisses he laid on her skin.

Stepping onto the island, Erin was amazed by the historic structure. The place fascinated her and she was just so happy that she even had the chance to see the island for herself. They followed the group up the island to the prison and they each got a headphone for the audio tour. Jay had told her that he had been there a couple of times before but it had been a while since his last trip.

She listened completely enthralled to the audio playing on the headphone, the voice guiding them through the prison, narrating the long history of the many prisoners that spent time on the Rock. Erin was especially fascinated by seeing Al Capone's old cell, being a Chicago girl her whole life.

"You're really into this stuff huh?" Jay asked as he watched her look around the small cell where the famous Chicagoan mobster used to be kept in.

"Yeah," Erin replied. "I mean there's so much history here and so much mystery too. You know. It's so cool."

Jay smiled, loving Erin's reaction to it. He was far too busy watching Erin's reaction to pay any attention to the audio tour. He loved that she was having a great time, his great effort and the large amount of money he spent to actually get the couple of sell their tickets to him completely worth it.

They spend a few hours on the island, Erin practically dragging Jay around by hand as they explored every inch of the island. Finally, Erin had her fill and they headed back to the mainland. Erin sighed happily as Jay's arm came around her shoulder.

"Thank you babe," Erin voiced, leaning up and kissing his jaw. "I had such a great time."

Jay smiled, brushing her hair that was blowing in the wind and tucking them behind her ear as they sat on a bench as the ferry took them back to the other side. "If you're happy, I'm happy."

Erin giggled, muttering something about how cheesy he was before relaxing back in his arms, the two of them enjoying the smooth ride on the water.

* * *

Since yesterday was all about Erin, she wanted to have the next day be all about Jay and what he wanted to do. His genius idea had been to charter a yacht and just spend the whole day out on the water, just the two of them, relaxing in the sun. She had to admit it. Her boyfriend was a genius.

"Dress code is bikinis only," Jay said as she stepped onto the massive yacht that Jay had got them.

"Oh, does that mean that I get to see you in a nice two piece?" Erin shot back as she wiggled her brows. Jay just frowned, the image of himself in a bikini far too disturbing. Erin laughed at his reaction as she settled in while the yacht set sail, the captain hidden in view, giving the two of them the privacy they needed.

Erin took off her sundress, leaving her in a stringy white bikini, and she saw Jay's eyes immediately clouded with lust as he trailed his eyes on her body. It was a testament of how comfortable and at ease she felt around him when his heated gaze made her feel beautiful.

"You approve?" Erin asked, her voice low and Jay could only nod, his voice not working at how hot she looked. She giggled, beaming under his attention. She walked over to the front of the yacht, laying down on the net that allowed them to feel the ocean underneath them. Jay followed, taking off his shirt, giving Erin a full view of his perfectly sculpted chest as he joined her.

"This is the best," Jay groaned, sounding perfectly pleased as he laid back, his arms crossed behind his head. Erin could only hum her agreement, far too busy enjoying the sun beaming down on her face, completely relaxed and at peace as the yacht sailed on in the wide open space.

She lost all sense of time and worries as she remained in her position, hoping that she would get a nice enough tan. She didn't even know she drifted off into sleep until she felt some rockiness in the usually smooth ride. She woke up, startled and Jay was there quickly to calm her down.

"It's okay, Erin. Just some rough waves," he reassured her and she calmed. But the sleepiness was gone and she glanced over to see what he was doing, her eyes narrowing in curiosity when she spied the notepad in his hands.

"What are you doing?" she asked, her curiosity peaking when she noticed the faintest of blush on Jay's cheeks, his freckles doing nothing to hide it. He licked his lips and bit them, dropping his gaze down. "Are you drawing me?"

Jay nodded. "You just looked so beautiful that I couldn't resist," he explained, Erin blushing at his words.

"Can I see?" He nodded and she made her way over to him and looked at his drawing of her over his shoulder. She was in the same position she was earlier, her hair was blowing in the wind and she had her eyes closed, like she was dreaming something beautiful. "Jay," she breathed out as she studied his drawing of her, tracing the curve of her body, the softness of his pencil strokes showcasing her how he saw her. She would always be amazed at how he could see her as something so good because a lot of times, she didn't see her in the same way as he did. But with his previous drawing of her and this one, he never failed to make her feel strong and beautiful.

"Do you like it?" he asked, sounding nervous. Erin couldn't understand why he could ever think she wouldn't like it.

"I love it," she voiced, her voice still shaky at the image. She leaned down to lay the softest of kiss on his shoulder. "Thank you." He smiled, turning his head back slightly to look at her. She could see the words on the tip of his tongue, ready to brush away her thank you like it wasn't a big deal. "I mean it," she said, cutting him off. She wanted him to know how much she loved it and his artistic skills. "Thank you. Not just for the drawing but for seeing me this way."

He shifted his body to face her and pulled her onto his lap. His eyes asked the question, asking her to elaborate. "For seeing me as someone beautiful," she explained, resting her forehead against his.

"It's because you are. Not just how you look, Erin." He stroked her face softly, his eyes peering into hers, blue on hazel, locked with sincerity. "You're beautiful inside and out. That's how I always see you."

Erin closed the distance and connected their lips, pressing hard until they were both breathless.

"Jay?"

"Yeah?" he murmured, still sounding breathless.

She reached behind her back and pulled off the strings of her bikini, the thin strip of material falling away. "I want you to make love to me."

He smiled, leaning in to meet her lips again. It wasn't as though he was able to refuse her. Not now. Never.

And it was the perfect end to their vacation as they spent the last day, making love on the yacht, the rush of the ocean underneath their bodies.

* * *

"I can't believe that we're actually doing this," Erin muttered, sounding completely nervous. She tugged on the sweater she was wearing again and she fixed her hair again, making sure all strands were in place.

Jay chuckled, amused at seeing her like this. "Relax babe," he said as he reached over the console to hold her hand. "It's just dinner."

He felt how cold her hands were, evidence of her nerves. "Yeah, sure it's just a regular dinner. I mean it's not like I'm meeting your parents for the first time or anything," Erin replied, sarcastically.

Both of them felt that their vacation in San Francisco had made them even closer and to Jay, it was just another step they had taken. And he found he was ready for more. So he had approached Erin with the idea of her meeting his family. Erin was nervous at the idea but she agreed, ready for the next step also.

So that was why he was trying to keep his amusement contained as she fidgeted nervously in her seat as they made their way to his parents' house in Hyde Park. He had reassured her several times that things would be okay and that his parents would love her. But it was obvious that Erin didn't feel the same ease that he did. It wasn't as though Jay was going to end their relationship if for some reason, his parents didn't approve. He wasn't going to leave Erin unless she told him to.

"Ready?" he asked as he pulled into the house. Erin exhaled and nodded. Jay brought her hand up and kissed it. "You'll be great, Erin. They'll see just why I like you so much." She looked at him and nodded, smiling and looking a little bit less nervous when he leaned over to catch her lips in a soft kiss. "Come on, my mom can't wait to meet you."

* * *

Evelyn Halstead could hardly contain her excitement as they sat around the dinner table, her eyes glued onto her son and the woman sitting next to him. It was clear to her by how Jay looked at Erin that her son was gone beyond smitten with her. She had never seen Jay like this before. Happy and so affectionate. And if she could without scaring Erin off, she'd pull the girl into a hug, thanking her for making her son so happy.

"So Erin, Jay tells me that you grew up here all your life?"

Erin nodded, "Yeah, I've been a Chicago girl my whole life."

"So your family is in the area?" Evelyn asked, wanting to know more about Erin.

Erin paused awkwardly, exchanging a look with Jay. Jay just nodded, like he was encouraging her, letting her know it was okay to tell her story. "Only my mom. She's the only family I have."

"Oh," Evelyn commented. "Are you close with her?"

Again, she noticed Jay reassuring Erin. "Not really. We're not close."

Evelyn felt bad, quickly realizing that perhaps Erin's family situation wasn't exactly ideal. "Oh that's okay," she said, smiling. "Not all families are close. Sometimes, the family that matters more is the family you choose for yourself. Just know that you can always come here."

Erin smiled and she exchanged a look with Jay again, both of them sharing a small moment with each other. It was like they were completely in their own world again and Evelyn could only be amused at the connection the couple seemingly share.

"Who knows? Maybe one day you'll call me mom," she said, Jay snapping his head around to look at her, closing his eyes in embarrassment. She chuckled, knowing that her son was probably cursing to himself inside. Probably thinking that she was ruining things between him and Erin by pushing them too fast. But judging by the smile and the soft blush on Erin's cheeks, Evelyn didn't think Erin minded too much.

"So where did you guys meet?" Pat Halstead asked.

"Oh Erin went to the same high school as us," Will answered and Jay's parents looked at them at the information.

"Really?" Evelyn asked. "Did you know each other in high school?"

"Uh," Erin bit her lips and shook her head. "I knew Will but not Jay." The unspoken words of how Jay had been bullied and didn't have friends outside of Mouse filled the room with tension and Evelyn saw Jay shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Her heart went out to him, knowing that despite all the success and the transformation he had gone through, the torture he went through in those formative years would always bring back bad memories for him. She glanced over at Erin and saw her hands shift underneath the table and Evelyn knew that she was comforting Jay underneath the table.

Evelyn thought back, the name Erin and the fact that they went to the same high school clicking things into place for her. She vividly remembered Jay having a crush on a girl named Erin for years and she was sure this was the same Erin. Clearly, things had certainly changed from those years.

"Erin, I made my famous cheesecake for dessert."

Erin's eyes lit up at the word cheesecake and Jay laughed at her reaction, reaching over to hold Erin's hands. "I told my mom how cheesecake is your favorite dessert and wait until you taste my mom's cheesecake."

"Mmm. I can't wait."

"Would you mind helping me in the kitchen and getting the cheesecake ready?" Evelyn asked. Erin got up from the chair to follow, Jay getting up too. "Jay, I'll have her back safe and sound, don't worry." Evelyn joked, Jay sitting back down but still darting his eyes between Erin and her warily. Jeez, her son was certainly overprotective of his girl, wasn't he? Erin just squeezed his shoulder, letting him know that she was okay before she followed her, the two women making their way into the kitchen.

Evelyn took out the cheesecake from the fridge and handed Erin the knife, telling her to cut the cake for serving.

"This looks amazing, Mrs. Halstead," Erin said as she sliced the cake into equal pieces.

"Oh please, call me Evelyn." _Until you can call me 'mom', _Evelyn thought to herself. "So you went to the same high school as Jay and Will?"

"Yeah."

"So you know about what Jay went through in high school then?" Erin's head whipped up at the question and Evelyn saw guilt swam in her eyes. "So I take it that you're also the same Erin that Jay liked in high school?" Erin nodded. "The same one he asked to prom but had that cruel joke played on him?" Another nod.

"I know I was terrible in high school but I swear to you Evelyn that I had no idea about Jay asking me to prom and I would never do something like that to anyone." Evelyn just nodded, remaining quiet. "My ex-boyfriend and friends, they were the one that found Jay's note to me asking me to prom. They planned the whole thing. I didn't know until Jay told me."

"He told you?"

"Yeah," Erin sighed. "He thought I was a part of it but I swear I wasn't. What happened to him, it was cruel and horrible and he didn't deserve it. No one does."

"You're right."

Erin bit her lips, like she was working up her nerves. "Even if I didn't play a role in it, I was still a reason why Jay got hurt. I know that you probably hate me now and probably think Jay could do better. I don't disagree. He's amazing. He's sweet and kind and funny and considerate. He's just...I don't even have the words to describe just how good of a guy he is, even after everything he went through. I don't know why he likes me or what I've done to deserve him but I'm just grateful everyday that I get to be with him and find out more about him and everytime I learn something new, I like him more and more." Erin's eyes widened after she finished her ramble, like she couldn't believe that she actually spilled everything she just said. To Jay's mom, of all people.

Evelyn's heart softened, seeing just how deep and genuine her feeling ran for her son. She reached over to hug Erin, catching her off-guard. "He likes you because you're you. As for deserving him, all you need to do is this. Appreciate him and don't take him or his feelings for you for granted. Because I know my son and I could tell just by looking at him just how much he likes you."

Erin nodded, taking her advice and they shared another hug. "Okay," Evelyn said, pulling away and wiping her wet eyes. "Let's get the cheesecake to them before they barge in here and take the whole thing for themselves."

* * *

Jay narrowed his eyes at his father and brother, noticing the strange looks on their faces. "What?" he finally asked.

"Nothing," Will quickly replied, the playful smirk on his face.

"So that's your girlfriend," Pat commented, surging on unlike Will.

"Yeah that's Erin," Jay said, warily. He sighed, giving in. "So what do you think of her?"

As much as he could pretend to not care about his dad and Will's opinion of Erin, he knew deep down that he did care. He wanted them to like Erin as much as he did. Sure, it wouldn't deter his feelings for her if his father didn't approve but he'd still like it the same.

"She's….." Pat paused before his face broke out into a soft smile, one that Jay hadn't seen on his father's face before. "She's great."

Jay mirrored the same expression as his father. "Yeah?"

"I've never seen you this happy before. So settled. I'm proud of you, Jay." Jay's eyes grew in size at the rare compliment. "I know I don't say it much but I am. You've done so well for yourself. And I don't mean just career-wise. You've grown up to be a great man and now you got the right woman by your side. You've really come into your own and you look so settled. That's all I can want for you as a father."

Jay glanced over at Will and seeing his older brother give him the same proud smile. The three Halstead men sharing a moment— a first in a long time.

A few minutes later, Erin and his mom came back out from the kitchen, carrying platters of cheesecake and coffee. Jay let out a sigh of relief that Erin seemed fine and his mom hadn't ran her out of the house yet. She took her seat next to him again, giving him a pat on his thigh, letting him know that things were okay. He sought out her hand underneath the table and laced their fingers together, giving her a soft smile. She was still here. That was all that was important.

* * *

"I can't believe you've been keeping this cheesecake from me," Erin scolded Jay as she took another bite for the deliciously creamy dessert. "This is the best cheesecake ever!"

"It's a secret family recipe," Jay retorted. "Only people deemed special enough by the Halsteads get a taste." Erin rolled her eyes at his corny joke.

"Don't worry, Erin," Evelyn interjected. "I'll give you the recipe if you want."

"But mom, that's a family recipe!" Will and Jay shouted, joking.

"Oh something tells me Erin would be family soon," Evelyn mumbled under her breath, just loud enough for both Erin and Jay to catch her words and the matriarch of the Halstead family chuckling to herself when she saw the couple blushing.

After sharing an easy and flowing conversation over cake and coffee, Jay joined his mom in the kitchen to help her clean up.

"So what do you think?" he asked after a while, after waiting to see if she'd say anything about Erin but finding it frustrating when her lips were tightly-shut.

Evelyn wiped her hands on the tea towel and set her eyes on him. "She's perfect for you, Jay." Jay grinned, unable to hide his happiness at his mom's approval.

"Isn't she?" Jay agreed, gushing over his girlfriend. "She's amazing, mom."

Evelyn watched her son gushed over his girlfriend the same way Erin had gushed over him earlier. "You love her, don't you?" she asked him, cutting his ramble off.

Jay sighed and nodded. "I do."

"She's the one?"

He looked over his mom's shoulders, his eyes softening and a smile filled with love taking over his face as he watched Erin in a conversation with his father and brother.

"She's the one."

Evelyn hugged her son tightly. "I'm happy for you, Jay. For both of you."

* * *

Erin looked out the Chicago skyline, taking in the view. They had returned back to Jay's place after dinner and Erin was eager to tore into the leftover cheesecake Evelyn had packed for them. But Jay was taking a shower so Erin decided to take the time to just hang on his balcony and take in the views.

The trip to San Francisco was just spectacular and perfect in every way. But she watched the familiar building in the distance, she understood what Jay meant when he said Chicago was home. It was their home. The place where they grew up, became who they were and the place where they fell in love.

Her heart skipped when the last thought made its way into her head. She knew she loved him. She was in love with Jay and she was just bursting at the seams to tell him. To watch his reaction as she said the three words she never said to another man before. She was just waiting for the perfect time.

"Hey," he came up behind her, hugging her from behind and nuzzling her neck. Erin got a whiff of his soap and she leaned into his embrace, the two of them softly swaying side to side, just holding each other.

"What are you thinking about?" Jay asked her.

Erin shook her head softly before turning around. "The dinner tonight."

Jay tilted his head. "Don't tell me my family scared you off."

Erin giggled, placing her hands on his chest. "No no. they're great. I love watching you guys together and being a part of your family tonight." He felt his heart raced at the idea of Erin being a part of his family— permanently. "Do you think they liked me?"

Jay looked down at his girlfriend, the woman he was deeply in love with. He brushed his fingers on her face, seeing the nervousness in her eyes. "Of course they did. They loved you." He was so crazy about her and he couldn't hold his feelings in anymore. He brushed away the strand of her hair that had fallen on her forehead, keeping his eyes on hers.

"I love you."

Erin's eyes widened at his words before they glistened with unshed tears. "Say the words again, Jay."

He grinned, cupping her face. "I'm so in love with you Erin. I love you."

Her face softened and her hands met his that were holding her. "I love you too."

It was the perfect moment when both of their worlds shifted to its rightful place. Where they both shared what they had been feeling for a while now, letting each other know just how crazy they were for each other.

He bent his head down to kiss her, hard and demanding, unable to believe that Erin loved him. "Say it again," he muttered against her lips, feeling her smile.

"I love you." Erin kissed his lips. "I love you." She kissed his face. "I love you so much, Jay Halstead," Erin declared as she brought his head down to kiss his forehead and his eyes.

He reconnected their lips again, demanding and taking everything she was giving him. He poured his love for her into the kiss and they worked to undress each other. He gently laid her down on the balcony, the moon encasing them in the soft glow as they showed each other just how much they loved each other. The leftover cheesecake forgotten on the table as they remained consumed in a far sweeter dessert. Each other.

* * *

_I hope you enjoyed the fluff...while it lasts anyways. *Evil laughter*_

_In all seriousness though, I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who is kind enough to leave a review on my stories. Seriously, I love reading them and they always inspire and motivate to write more. I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy. _

_one more thing- I don't know how many people that read this story read my other story, Slow Spinning Redemption but I just wanted to address it here because I'm not a fan of creating a new chapter just for an author's note. Anyway, I just wanted to say that I am still working on that story and I haven't abandoned it yet. It's been a while since i've updated it but it's only because I was working out a few kinks and details. but i'm planning on getting an update up for it this week. _

_and that's all I wanted to say for now. I hope you guys enjoy the chapter and please do let me know what you think. Too fluffy? Too cheesy? lol._


	7. Part VII

Chapter 7

"So let me get this straight," Erin mused as she leaned on the kitchen counter, watching her hot boyfriend do his magic in the kitchen. "Not only are you probably the hottest guy I've ever seen in real life, not to mention the sweetest, you also know your way around a kitchen. Jeez Halstead, is there anything you can't do?"

Jay gave her a smirk before he fully comprehended everything she said. "Wait, what do you mean _probably_ the hottest guy?" he questioned, frowning. "Who do you know that's hotter than me?"

Erin pretended to be in thought, a playful glint in her eyes. "Adam comes to mind," she tossed out flippantly, knowing that it would rile Jay up. She got the reaction she was looking for when he turned off the stove and sped towards where she stood. She squealed with laughter when he trapped her against the counter with his arms, his eyes glaring at her.

"Ruzek?" he asked, scoffing. "You know he got nothing on me, babe." His face inched closer towards hers, lips hovering over hers that she felt his warm breaths ghost across her face. Her heart raced at seeing Jay's handsome face up-close, her eyes counting all the cute freckles that were all over his face.

"Hmm, do I?" she feigned innocence, tilting her head to the side. She loved riling him up like this; especially when 99% of the times would lead to them finishing their playful squabble with very hot sex. "I mean, you're cute," she continued, trailing her finger over his neck. "But there's just something about Adam. Plus you know he thinks of me as the beautiful woman he knows so clearly, a girl has to give him extra points for that."

She held in her laughter, recalling when Jay mistakenly thought that Adam had a crush on Erin and got jealous. He buried his face in her neck and let out a low growl.

"I'm never gonna live that down, am I?"

"No, I don't think so," Erin replied, wrapping her arms around Jay. She squirmed when he kissed her neck, tickling her. "Jay!" she laughed, trying to wiggle out of his ticklish attack. "Stop!"

"Say I'm the hottest guy you know," Jay demanded in between his kisses.

"You're the hottest guy I know," Erin complied, giving in easily. But Jay wasn't letting up, just yet.

"Say you love me."

"I love you!" Erin declared, laughing. "I love you!"

Satisfied, Jay finally stopped his ticklish kisses and pulled his head away from the crook of her neck.

"Alright, I get it. You're crazy about me!" Jay echoed. "No need to shout it."

"You're an ass," Erin returned, playfully smacking his chest. "You're lucky that I love you."

His laughter slowly ebbed away and a soft smile came over his face, matching the soft look in his blue eyes. His hand came up and held her face, his thumb slowly stroking her jaw. "You're right. I am lucky." The last thing Erin saw before he closed the distance between them was the blue of his eyes, his soft lips landing on hers. As he slowly leaned her back against the counter, Erin felt herself falling more and more for this man. His lips found home on her neck, Erin tossing her head back to give him more access, and he alternated between sucking on the skin and gently biting on it. Erin moaned, her hands holding onto his strong arms for dear life, as he worked to drive her wild with lust. He stepped even closer to her, their bodies pressed completely up against each other that she felt him get hard. Erin closed her eyes, letting herself get lost in the sensation of him pressing up against her while his mouth kept moving all over her face, her neck and her chest.

"Jay," she moaned, pulling him even closer to her. Her fingers were blindly searching for the hems of his shirt, needing to feel his skin. "Fuck!" she whispered when his arms got tangled up with the stubborn shirt and as soon as she got it freed, she tossed it somewhere behind her while his lips immediately reattached itself to her skin. She ran her fingers all over his chest, traveling down to his stomach, loving the way the ripples of his abs felt. They were becoming more frantic, their need for each other getting so overwhelming that they didn't want to waste any time so he quickly discarded the last of his clothes and he lifted her on the counter, Erin scooting to the edge and parted her legs. His hands hiked up the dress she was wearing and hurriedly pulled off her underwear, leaving her bare. She nearly came when he touched her slowly, like he was teasing her.

Normally, she loved the teasing and the foreplay just as much as the actual sex but not today. Today, she was impatient and needy because there was just something about seeing him being all domestic and cooking for her that she wanted him right now.

"Jay, I love you and all for trying to take it slow but I just need you to fuck me right now!" Erin nearly growled, needing to feel Jay inside her. He grinned and grabbed her face before crashing his lips on hers. He was determined to give her what she needed and she gasped out in absolute pleasure as he finally entered her. She didn't want or need gently right now and she made it known by setting the pace, Erin meeting every thrusts of his hips. It was rough and frantic and it was exactly what she needed and soon enough, she was left seeing stars as her body shuddered in pleasure. She was lost in the intensity of her orgasm that she was only slightly aware of Jay chasing his own release, him burying his face in between her breasts as he came. It took awhile for the cloud to clear up and even longer for both of them to catch their breath. Erin smiled, completely sated, and she ran her fingers gently through his hair as he remained attached to her. He laid a kiss in the valley of her breasts and finally pulled his head up to kiss her languidly.

They did eventually get back to their dinner as Jay finished cooking his special chicken piccata. Erin remained perched on the counter, her feet dangling over it, as she watched her man make sure that the pasta was cooked al dente before tossing it in the sauce. It smelled heavenly in the kitchen and she was practically ravenous now that they got their _exercise_ in.

"I'm starving, babe," Erin whined as Jay chopped parsley to garnish the dish. He was completely focused on the task, making sure that everything was perfect. It was the complete opposite of how Erin usually cooked. Jay believed in presentation playing an important role in the overall dish, while Erin usually only cared about how the dish actually tasted.

"Almost done," Jay replied, knowing that a hangry Erin was someone not to be messed with.

"Are you sure I can't help? I can chop something?" Erin offered, feeling bad that she was doing nothing but just sit around and watch Jay busied himself around the kitchen.

"Yes, I'm sure," Jay said, a knowing grin on his face. "I'm very sure," he muttered under his breath but Erin caught it just the same.

"What was that?" she asked, her eyes narrowing on him.

"What was what?" he returned, playing innocent.

"I heard that," Erin said, glaring at him. "You don't think I can cook!"

"I didn't say that," Jay replied, holding his hands up in denial. "I….I just don't want you to be even more exhausted. I mean, after all I did just put you through a very tiring workout," he added, dropping his voice.

Erin could only laugh at Jay's attempt to save himself. It wasn't as though she was offended if he did think that she couldn't cook. She knew it herself and she still remembered her disaster of chicken soup that she made for him when he got sick. A soup that he forced himself to eat so he wouldn't hurt her feelings. She pushed herself off the counter and sauntered over to him, wrapping her arms around him from behind. She dropped a kiss on his shoulder, squeezing him.

"You're cute," she commented, dropping another kiss on the other side of his shoulders. He hummed with approval at her comment. "I mean it. Look at you with that apron around your waist, all focused on cooking. It's like you're my own househusband."

He scoffed at her teasing him. "That's it, you're not getting any of this," he retorted. Erin wasn't fazed by his threat, knowing that he wouldn't starve her.

"Keep chopping," Erin said, patting his arms. "I like extra parsley on my plate," she ordered, tossing him a smirk and letting him focus back on completing their dinner.

They didn't even bother sitting down at the dining table after Jay finished cooking, both of them opting to just sit at the kitchen counter. Erin dug into her food, moaning happily when she tasted how good it tasted. Jay even made sure she got most of the parsley on her plates.

"This is so good," Erin complimented the chef, Jay beaming with pride. "Seriously, if you know how to make your mom's cheesecake, I swear you'd be the world's most perfect man."

"Yeah, she's not letting go of the recipe anytime soon," Jay said as he stood up and walked over to the fridge. "But luckily, I am her favorite so I have direct access to her cheesecake whenever I want." Erin gasped with happiness when he pulled out the cheesecake he was hiding away in the fridge. Jay chuckled at her reaction. "So it does mean that I'm the world's most perfect man right?'

"If you hand over that cheesecake right now, you can call yourself God for all I care," Erin replied, her eyes glued on the creamiest cheesecake she'd ever had in her life. "Now hand it over!"

They stood around the counter like complete savages and dug into the cheesecake, not even bothering with plates.

"Look at us," Erin commented in between bites. "You have this awesome dining table in this huge kitchen yet we're standing around the counter like cavemen."

"You know, this kitchen doesn't have to be just my kitchen," Jay started, slowly testing out the water. "It could be your kitchen too."

This wasn't the first time Jay had tossed out the idea of them moving in together. He knew they hadn't been together that long but he already knew she was it for him. He had no doubt in that regard and he wanted to move forward with their relationship. The next logical step to him was for her to move in with him. The fact that she didn't live in the safest part of the city also played a role. Even with the security cameras and the best alarm system that money could buy being installed at Erin's place, he still worried about her safety. He didn't want a repeat of what happened with Jimmy to happen again.

"Mmm," Erin replied, pretending as though she didn't get the hint he was throwing out. It also wouldn't be the first time she had done that. Whenever he would hint at the idea of moving in together, Erin would either distract him with kisses or pretend as though she didn't catch his pretty blatant hints.

"I'm just saying," Jay continued, bravely deciding to push the subject more. "This is a big place and I'm one very tiny person. Kinda get lonely here by myself."

Erin just continued chewing on the cheesecake, not giving him a reply.

"Erin," he called her name. "Com…" She cut him off by shoving a forkful of cheesecake in his mouth, making it clear that she didn't want to talk about the subject. He sighed as he swallowed the cheesecake. "Fine," he said, giving in. "but just so you know, I'm not giving up on this."

He grabbed her face and kissed her, Erin tasting even sweeter than the cheesecake.

* * *

Erin zipped up her skirt and smoothed down the shirt she was wearing, making sure there were no visible wrinkles on her outfit. She didn't have time to use the fancy looking clothes steamer that Jay had in his closet if she did. She already had people at work gossiping about her work outfits— calling them basic and unfashionable— that she really didn't want to give them any more ammo by going into work with wrinkled clothes.

She checked her appearance in the mirror, patting down a few fly-away hair and tightened her ponytail. She smiled when Jay came up behind her— with his shirt not yet buttoned, showing off his hard chest, and a tie in his hand— and bent down to kiss her shoulder.

"Morning," he voiced before laying a kiss on her cheek.

"Good morning," she returned, loving the fact that her first words of the day were for Jay. He hugged her from behind and started peppering her neck with kisses, her ponytail keeping her hair out of the way for him. "Jay," she breathed, trying her hardest not to get lost in the moment. "We're gonna be late."

"So?" he murmured against her neck. "I'm the boss. We can go in whenever we want." He resumed sucking on her neck, Erin closing her eyes in pleasure. But thankfully, she managed to get ahold of herself and pull away from his grasp before he left a visible hickey on her neck.

"Jay!" she exclaimed as she moved away, Jay pouting at the distance. "People are going to notice if I go into work with a hickey on my neck, babe."

"You can give one to me too and we'll be matching," he teased, showing her his neck.

"Yeah, sure. That won't start office gossip," Erin retorted, rolling her eyes. She looked at herself in the mirror again, making sure that she didn't look disheveled. She met Jay's eyes in the mirror and saw his eyes darkened with desire. God, he was insatiable and the way he looked, standing behind her half-dressed, she wanted him just as bad. But someone had to keep a clear head because if they let themselves indulge in each other all they wanted, they'd never leave the bedroom.

"Fine," Jay said, giving her a final kiss on her neck before pulling away. Erin smiled and turned around to grab the tie from his hand. Jay started buttoning up his shirt before Erin stopped him, buttoning the top two buttons for him and smoothing his collar. Then she brought the tie around his neck and started tying it, pulling on it until it was wrapped comfortably around his neck and made sure that it laid perfectly on his chest.

"Perfect." She smiled when he thanked her with a kiss.

"I could get used to this everyday," Jay said, bringing his arms around her and pulling her closer to him. "You waking up next to me, seeing your smile the first thing in the morning, us getting ready for work together," he continued, his finger ghosting over her lips.

"And we can do this everyday," Erin returned. "I already have some extra clothes here and you can keep some of yours at my place. I can clear out some space in my closet for you," Erin offered even though she knew that it wasn't what Jay was looking for. He didn't want just a drawer or a shelf in her closet. He wanted a complete his and hers closet….at his place. This wasn't the first time that he brought up moving in together and each time, Erin had tried to dodge the subject.

She loved him, she was completely in love with him, but there was this part of Erin's brain that was way too sensible and cynical. Because the fact remained that she and Jay hadn't been dating that long. Even though things were perfect between them and Erin falling for him more and more with each day that passed, there was a part of Erin that was still waiting for the other shoe to drop. Girls like her didn't get fairytales like this nor an ending where she'd live with the Prince Charming happily ever after. And Jay was as close to Prince Charming as they came.

It wasn't as though she didn't trust Jay because she did with everything she had. But she was also smart enough to know that even with Jay's best intentions, getting hurt was a real possibility. She just wasn't ready to take the leap of faith yet.

Jay sighed, getting turned down by Erin again. Erin gently lifted his head so he'd meet her eyes and she gave him a small smile.

"I am completely in love with you, Jay," she began, wanting him to know how genuine she was in what she was about to tell him. "It's kinda crazy just how much I've fallen in love with you in this short time. It's not like me but there's just something about you that makes it impossible for me not to love you. It's not just how sweet and kind you are or how hot I find you...I can't even put it into words other than it's _everything_ about you." She caressed his stubbled jaw as she continued pouring her heart out to him, making sure he knew just how much he meant to her. "What you said about us starting every morning off together? I want that too." Before he could misconstrue her words as her agreeing to move in, she continued. "But I'm _me._ I'm still the girl that grew up thinking that good guys like you couldn't exist because I've never met one until you. I'm still the girl that needs time and patience. I will be ready to take the next step one day but I just don't think I'm ready now."

He nodded, taking in her honest declaration. A smile came over him as he cupped her face.

"Erin, I've loved you since I first saw you in the school's hallway and I've been waiting for you for 18 years even if neither of us knew it. I can wait for as long as you need until you're ready. I'm 100% sure that you're the only one for me and I'm gonna work hard so you can be sure that I'm the one for you too." With that, he kissed her and Erin smiled into the kiss. "And I promise, I won't pressure you about moving in. I'll leave it to you. When you're ready, you can be the one to ask me."

Erin nodded, sealing the deal with another kiss.

"And just so you know," Jay added, breaking the kiss. "I want the whole nine yards when you ask me. I'm talking about roses, candles and wine," he joked.

Erin rolled her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Jay?"

"Hmm?"

"Just shut up and kiss me."

So he did.

* * *

They eventually made it into the office, Erin getting out of the car a few blocks away as usual so people wouldn't see them arriving together. She entered the lobby of the building and immediately felt people's eyes on her.

"Morning," she greeted Joe, the security guard that was posted at the front desk.

"Morning Ms. Lindsay," Joe returned. "Mr. Halstead isn't coming in yet?"

Erin frowned as she paused in her steps, wondering why Joe said what he did. She shook her head, thinking that she was being too paranoid about people at the office finding out about her and Jay's relationship, and she continued her journey to the elevator.

She stepped inside the small space, groaning to herself when she saw that two of the office's biggest gossips were in the elevator with her. But it was too late to escape as the elevator door closed and Erin resigned herself to the fact that she'd have to deal with them until they got off at the 13th floor.

"So Erin," Martha who worked as an accountant— and could have a second career as a gossip columnist— started. "How's Mr. Halstead's doing?"

"Fine," Erin replied coolly, hoping that her short reply would stop any more conversation from happening. But Erin wouldn't get her wish.

"Yeah, I bet he's fine," Martha continued, snickering like she knew something Erin didn't. "So tell me something Erin, you had no prior experience working in an office setting before this job right?"

"Excuse me?" Erin asked, turning around so she could look Martha and her sidekick Eva in the eyes.

"That's what I heard. That you used to work in retail."

"So?" Erin shrugged.

"I always found it interesting that someone that was totally inexperienced like you are got to work directly _under _Mr. Halstead. I even heard that you got to be in some of the meetings with him."

"And?"

"It didn't make much sense to me or Eva that you'd be trusted with such important things. I mean that is until we found out that you were working _under _him."

"Quite literally," Eva added, both of them smirking.

Erin's heart thudded against her chest at them insinuating that they knew about her and Jay's relationship. Even though she was trying her hardest to play it cool on the surface, she felt her blood boiling underneath her skin.

"I have no idea what you two are talking about," Erin retorted, turning her back to them. She just wanted the elevator to go faster so they'd get off as fast as they could.

"Oh come off it, Erin." Martha said, Erin clearly hearing the disdain in her voice. "You're fucking the boss. That's probably how you got the job to begin with and how you got to sit in all those meetings."

"You have no idea what you're talking about Martha and I'd appreciate it if you didn't start mouthing off about things you don't know," Erin returned.

"But I do," Martha said, smirking. "My cousin lives in San Francisco and he's one of those tech geeks. It just so happens that he loves Mr. Halstead and when he saw him in person, he freaked and took some pictures," Martha continued, pulling out her phone and scrolling through the pictures. "And guess who just happened to be next to him in all the pictures? Making out with him?"

Martha held up her phone to Erin's face, showing her the candid pictures that were taken of her and Jay kissing at the Fisherman's wharf, completely oblivious to the person that was snapping their camera away.

"You still gonna deny it?" Martha asked. "Picture's worth a thousand words, right?"

Erin felt her whole body burned, her anger growing at her secret being found out. That was the last thing she wanted to have happened. She didn't want anyone gossiping about her or thinking that she slept her way through the job. She was good at her job and even though Jay had taken a chance on her by letting her sit in those meetings like with the Bears, it started before they began dating.

"What do you want Martha?" Erin asked bluntly.

"I just want you to admit the truth," Marth replied. "Admit that you're nothing but a whore who slept her way to the top floor."

Erin scoffed. "If you want the truth then I'll tell you the truth." Erin crossed her arms and straightened her stance. She would be damned if she'd let the two of them see that they could get to her. "The truth is me dating Jay has nothing to do with me getting the job."

"Please," Eva replied, rolling her eyes. "You expect us to believe that?"

"I don't really care what you believe because you're gonna think whatever you want anyway, regardless of what I tell you," Erin shot back. "Because I've known girls like you all my life. Ones that take pleasure in hurting other people, gossiping about other people. So you want to spread those pictures all over the office? Go ahead."

The elevator door dinged, opening to the 13th floor.

"You can act all noble as you want Erin. We'll just see just how long you can last when everyone finds out that you're the office slut," Martha warned as she pulled Eva's arms and the two of them got out of the elevator.

* * *

"Hey, what's wrong?" Jay asked as soon as he saw the look on Erin's face. He walked over to her desk and held her face so he could see her eyes, panic striking him when he saw unshed tears in hers. "What happened?"

"Everyone knows, Jay," Erin muttered, her voice breaking.

"Know what?"

"They know about us," Erin revealed, pulling her head away from his hold. "They know that we're sleeping together. They think I'm the office slut."

"Hey," Jay called, reaching out to hold her again so he could look at her. "First of all, we're not just sleeping together. Okay? We're in a serious and committed relationship. Second of all, you're not the office slut. Who's spreading the rumors?"

"Martha and Eva from accounting," Erin replied, Jay taking notes of the people that got his girl in distress.

"Martha and Eva, got it," Jay replied and he picked up the phone and started dialing.

"What are you doing?" Erin asked in confusion but Jay just held his finger up.

"Trudy, it's Halstead. I need you to call Martha and Eva from accounting and let them know that they're being terminated immediately," Jay ordered.

"What? No." Erin stood up and pulled the phone away from Jay. "Jay, I don't need you to do this." But Jay wasn't listening, still talking on the phone with Trudy. "Jay," Erin called his name again. "Stop." He wasn't stopping so she just grabbed the phone from him and hung up.

"What?"

"Jay, I don't want you to fire them," Erin said, shaking her head. "That's not why I told you. Okay?"

"No, not okay!" Jay replied, sounding angry, even though she knew it was more at the two women than at her. "They're getting into our personal business, ones that have nothing to do with them. I need to deal with them."

"You can't fire them for that," Erin reasoned.

"Watch me!"

"Jay," Erin sighed, holding his arms. "Please."

He cupped her face and his thumb wiped away the tear that began to fall from her eyes. "They made you cry. I'm not gonna stand by and do nothing."

Even through her tears, she couldn't stop herself from smiling at his words. "I love you for being protective of me but it's fine. I can deal with them and the gossip. I've dealt with it before and I can deal with it again."

"But you shouldn't have to!" Jay exclaimed, sounding angry with himself for not being able to protect her. "How did they find out about us anyway?"

"Apparently Martha's cousin is a fan of yours and he saw us in San Francisco and took pictures."

Jay sighed, closing his eyes. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I should've protected you better."

Erin frowned, not needing Jay to apologize. "This isn't on you, Jay. We didn't know that he was there."

"But I should've! I should've realized that there could be people that have no lives, taking pictures of us." He stood up from her desk and started pacing, his hands on his hips. "Is it just the two of them that knows?"

"I'm pretty sure the whole office knows by now. Even the security guard at the front desk made a comment about it."

He shook his head in frustration, blaming himself for putting Erin in this position. He understood her need to keep their relationship quiet and private. He knew that if they got found out, it'd be her that would take the brunt of the fallout. Rumors and gossip would be directed more at the woman in the situation, harsh comments about Erin sleeping with the boss to get the job would spread all over the office. He wanted to fire everyone that would utter one bad word against her if he could.

"I'm gonna deal with this," he promised her.

"No, I don't want or need you to," Erin said, rejecting him. "It's not what they're saying is a lie. We are sleeping together."

"We're in love," Jay corrected. "We're not just sleeping together. We're in a relationship. A relationship that has nothing to do with the job or this office."

"Still, we can't stop people from talking," Erin replied, giving him a sad smile. One that broke his heart. He lifted her up from her chair and engulfed her in a tight hug, feeling comforted when she wrapped her arms around him too.

"You know what they're saying isn't true right?" he muttered before pulling his head back so he could look at her. "Despite my initial reason for hiring you, I'd never keep you on this job if you didn't deserve it. I'd never let you sit in on the meetings if you weren't good at your job and Erin, you're amazing at it. Don't ever let anyone doubt that." Erin nodded. "Promise me."

"I promise," Erin whispered. "Now I need you to promise me this."

"Anything," Jay replied immediately.

"Promise me that you'll leave this alone okay? No firing Martha and Eva. I don't want to cause you trouble if they decide to sue you for wrongful termination. I can deal with the gossip and people in the office talking about me. I just don't want you to get hurt."

"Erin," Jay began to protest. "I'm not going to leave you to deal with this by yourself when I'm a part of this as much as you are. I'm your boyfriend, I'm supposed to protect you."

"Then just hold me. That's all I need right now."

Jay sighed, bringing her back into his arms. She hid her face in his neck and he tightened his arms around her, like he could protect her from everything as long as she remained in his embrace.

"I love you," she whispered into his neck.

"I love you too," Jay replied. "So much."

And that was why he knew that he couldn't let her deal with this alone.

* * *

Jay knew he could be an intimidating person if he wanted to be. He knew that most of his employees couldn't quite look at him in his eyes. That was why he knew that even though the news of his relationship with Erin had spread like wildfire across the whole office, people wouldn't dare bring it up around him. They didn't dare to gossip about him or give him looks as he walked through the office. But he knew they didn't extend the same courtesy to Erin.

It angered him that Erin was an open target for everyone. Thinly veiled jealous remarks would fly even if they knew Erin could hear, looks filled with disdain and envy would be tossed her way. He knew that Erin was strong but he also knew that she was trying her hardest to pretend as though the gossip and the name-calling and the whispers that were meant for her to overhear weren't affecting her.

Jay didn't know how long he'd be able to stand by and keep his promise to Erin by doing nothing.

"She's such a whore. I bet you she seduced him first."

Jay stopped in his tracks as he heard the voices coming from the accounting office. He paused by the door, listening, as the two women inside continued gossiping about Erin instead of working.

"Totally," the second voice agreed. "I just don't see what Jay sees in her. She's not even that pretty and her clothes look like she bought them at Goodwill." The two women laughed at their own remarks.

"Yeah, Jay's used to dating models and actresses. He's probably only fucking that bitch on the side. Like he could actually claim her as an official girlfriend."

"Actually, Erin is not only my girlfriend but she is also the woman I am madly in love with," Jay chimed in, catching the two women off guard. "And don't call me Jay. It's Mr. Halstead to you."

"Mr. Halstead!" Martha stammered, not expecting Jay to overhear their conversation.

"Why are the two of you just sitting around during work hours, talking badly about another employee, when you should be working?" Jay demanded, seeing that their computers weren't even turned on to do any work. "Is that what I'm paying you for? For you to gossip about my personal life instead of working on the company's accounts?"

"No," Eva immediately replied, apologizing. "We're sorry. We'll get back to work."

"Don't bother," Jay interjected. "Consider yourself terminated as of this moment. I need employees that are focused and won't spend company's time on trivial matters. Clean out your desk by the end of the day."

Jay didn't give them a chance to protest before he turned and left the accounting office. He was just too worked up and angry when he heard them talking shit about Erin and had reacted. He knew it could come back and bite him in the ass but he didn't care. They could try to sue him for everything he had, he wasn't going to stand by and let them trash Erin any longer. Besides, he had more important matters to worry about.

Like him knowing that Erin would be pissed at him for going behind her back and firing them after he told her he wouldn't. He just wanted to protect her. She already had to deal with the mean girls ruining her life in high school, he just couldn't stand by and watch her get hurt again. He just hoped that she could see where he was coming from.

* * *

AN: _I'm sorry for the lack of update for this story. I know some of you guys have been waiting patiently for it so I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!_


	8. Part VIII

Erin braced herself for the knowing looks and barely disguised smirks to be directed in her direction as she entered the lobby of the office. But she found herself being surprised when the usual firing squad that she had been dealing with as of late was absent and quickly made her way into the elevator. There were a few people in the lobby and they just gave her polite smiles and too friendly greetings instead of the usual whispers and innuendos about her relationship with Jay. Strange, she thought, but at least people were trying to be discreet today instead of the open hostility and sneers she had been dealing with the past few days. She drove herself today instead of carpooling with Jay because he had a business dinner scheduled for tonight and didn't want Erin to wait. It had been a couple of days since the news of her relationship with Jay had made its round through the office and yet people still seemed to be fascinated by it until now. She guessed she couldn't exactly blame them. Someone like her dating someone like Jay was definitely not the usual norm. Beside it wasn't as though there wasn't anything she could do but keep her head up high and just wait until everything blows over. She was used to it. She had done it before and she knew she could do it again.

"Good morning, Erin."

Erin was greeted by Layla when she entered the elevator. Normally the software engineer wasn't the one to initialize conversation so it had piqued Erin's interest that Layla was actually saying 'hi' to Erin in the first place.

"Good morning," Erin returned, giving the other woman a polite smile. The rest of the elevator ride was done in silence, Erin feeling Layla's eyes on her the whole time. But the other woman didn't say another word, just opting to keep quiet and silently observing Erin. It was suffocating to be stuck in a small enclosed space with a pair of probing eyes on her but Erin kept still, wanting the elevator ride to be over as soon as possible. Finally, they arrived at Layla's floor and the woman got out, giving Erin a 'have a nice day' in the nicest tone that Erin had ever heard from the woman before.

"You too," Erin mumbled, confused as to why Layla had been so polite to her. It wasn't like the software engineer to do so, usually too busy judging Erin silently and giving her the cold shoulders. Erin had expected her to say something snarky and snide about Erin's relationship with Jay. Maybe things were getting better? Maybe the office had decided that it was old news that Erin was dating their boss and it was time to move on. Hopefully.

The rest of the day continued on in similar fashion. People that were usually cold and aloof towards Erin before were being nice. Even the people that never really crossed paths with Erin before were going out of their way to come up to her and greet her, like she was some sort of an important figure. It was strange and unsettling.

"What's up?" Jay asked her when he noticed the weird expression on her face. The expression quickly turned into a smile when she saw her boyfriend return to the office and the smile only grew wider when he came around her desk to lightly catch her lips in a 'hello, I missed you even though we've only parted for a couple of hours' kiss.

"You alright?" Jay asked again after breaking the kiss and he softly caressed her cheeks, his eyes filled with concern.

"Yeah," Erin gave him a reassuring smile. "I'm probably just weirding myself out for no reason." Maybe Erin was just being paranoid without having any reason to be. She felt like she was being ridiculous— one minute complaining about people being rude and gossiping about her and the next, freaking herself out because people were actually being nice to her. She wanted to get rid of all of her troubling thoughts and just chalk it up to her having a bad week.

Jay kept his eyes on her, only now alongside the concern in his blue eyes there was something else. He almost looked worried? Erin was confused at seeing the look in his eyes. But whatever that something was quickly vanished once Erin gave him another reassuring smile, Jay looking almost relieved.

"How was the meeting?" Erin asked, wanting to change the subject.

"Good. Really good, actually." Jay looked pleased so Erin was pleased too. He and Mouse had a meeting with a new and upcoming start-up company in the City and Erin knew that the two best friends were excited about potentially getting involved with the start-up. Jay and Mouse went on and on about how the guys from the start-up reminded them so much of themselves when they first started out. It was actually a nice sight to see Jay and Mouse being so enthusiastic about it.

"So you're going to invest in the company?"

"We're thinking about it. Leaning towards yes."

"That's good," Erin replied, wiping some of her lip gloss that had gotten onto Jay's face. "I'm sure they'd be thrilled."

Jay nodded. "I know I was when we got our first investors all those years ago. It felt like I just won the lottery, you know? Like everything we worked for, everything we've dreamt about was finally about to come true. And now, being able to do that for someone? Give someone that feeling?"

Erin listened with literal heart-eyes at the way Jay was going on. She just loved him so much.

"What?" Jay's question caught Erin's attention and he was looking at her questioningly. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Erin shook her head and stood up to step in between Jay's legs. She wrapped her hands around his neck and kissed his forehead. His hands found home on her hips immediately like they've always belonged there.

"I was just thinking," Erin began, her voice soft and quiet. "That despite people talking about us, no matter what they say, it's worth it to be here with you."

She saw Jay's smile falter slightly at her words before he gave her a firmer smile, holding her hips tighter and pulling her even closer.

"You know how much I love you right?" he asked, a strange lilt to his voice. Before Erin could comment on it, he continued on. "You know that right, Erin?"

"Of course," Erin replied, looking at him quizzically.

"And that I only want to protect you right? That I only want you to be happy."

"Yeah. Jay, what's wrong? What's going on with you?" Erin was getting more worried about Jay.

Jay parted his mouth like he wanted to tell her something but he closed it just as quickly. He sighed and gave her a small smile. "Nothing." He kissed her face. "Nothing at all."

* * *

Erin entered the main floor cafeteria, wanting to grab a quick bite to tide her over before Jay was done with his meeting and they could go out to dinner. Normally, she avoided this place, especially in the past week. But there was nothing to eat in the break room on the top floor and she was famished.

She decided on an Acai bowl and headed for the stall.

"Hello, Ms. Lindsay," one of the heads of product development greeted her when Erin entered the line.

"Hello, Gretchen." Erin returned. "And please, it's Erin."

The woman just nodded, keeping the smile plastered on her face. "Oh, hungry?"

"Yeah. Thought I come down and grab something to eat quickly."

"Here, you can cut in front of me," Gretchen insisted, moving out of the way.

"It's okay. It's only a couple of people in line," Erin quickly refused the generous offer. But somehow their conversation caught the attention of other people in line, their eyes widening when they noticed Erin. And soon enough, everyone that was in front of her in line was moving away, insisting that she go in front of them. Erin was baffled and that unsettling feeling from earlier came over her again. People were being way too nice. Something obviously happened and she was out of the loop. The only explanation that was feasible in her head was that people were sucking up to her because she was dating the boss. That had to be it.

"Go ahead first, Erin," the first person in line called, waving her over. Erin tried to refuse again but everyone urged her on, pushing her to the front. She awkwardly placed her order and turned to give everyone in line that was staring at her a tight smile. "Thank you for letting me go ahead."

"Don't worry about it."

"Let me treat you!" Another person in line rang out, waving his credit card and offering it to the cashier before Erin could protest. "I insist, it's my pleasure."

"Thank you?" Erin was so lost.

She was still lost as she took her food and headed to an empty table. There weren't a lot of people in the cafeteria but she still could feel the heat of their gazes on her and the other half were pretending as though they weren't looking at her when they really were. Unable to stand the awkward atmosphere any longer, Erin stood up and fled.

Erin got off at the top floor and headed straight to the break room, grateful for the privacy of the empty room. She hated being the center of attention. She never liked it and hated it even more after what happened in High school. She usually went out of her way to avoid being in situations that would put targets on her yet she donned the biggest target on herself when she started dating Jay.

She didn't know what she hated more, people gossiping about her being her back or people being fake and overly nice to her. There was nothing genuine about their niceties and it only worked to perturb her more. Erin was half way into her bowl of Acai and deep into her thoughts that she didn't notice the new arrival in the break room until she felt a pair of hands on her shoulders. Erin jumped, startled by the sudden contact.

"Sorry!" Kim apologized quickly, realizing that she had unintentionally scared Erin. Erin released a sigh of relief that it was just Kim.

"You scared me!" Erin gasped, trying to get a full breath in after almost choking on the granola. Thin shards of sliced almonds harshly went down her throat and she coughed to get rid of the unpleasant feeling.

Kim just gave her another grimace to show her apology before launching into a full onslaught attack. Erin could barely comprehend everything Kim was saying but managed to get the gist.

"Slow down, Kim," Erin directed, catching the excited woman's hands to calm her friend down.

"I'm gone for three days and I miss the biggest news!" Kim was still going a hundred mile a minute. "I so knew that you and Jay had something going on. I knew it! I knew he liked you and you liked him. You tried to deny it and here I find out that you two are dating!"

Erin couldn't get a word in, just watching her friend and waiting for her to be done. Erin waited nervously, anticipating Kim's reaction. Kim was her best friend in the office and she didn't want their friendship to change by the news. Maybe Erin was hoping that Kim would understand her position, given Kim's own complicated relationship with Adam.

"You found out about me and Jay," Erin stated, quickly interjecting the second Kim paused to take a breath.

"Duh!" Kim rolled her eyes. "I heard about it as soon as I got in this morning. I've been waiting for the chance to get you alone all day!"

Erin groaned, her hope that it was becoming old news dwindling.

"This is so great!"

Erin's head snapped up at Kim's cheerful declaration and found herself being pulled into a tight hug. Erin felt a sense of relief that she wasn't expecting being lifted off her shoulder at her friend's reaction. Erin knew she wanted Kim's support but even she wasn't expecting to feel this relieved that Kim seemed to be happy for her.

"Really?" Erin asked, just to make sure.

"Are you kidding me?" Kim returned, shaking Erin's shoulder like Kim would react any other way. "I'm so happy for you!" Erin smiled but Kim was frowning in return. "Why? Did you think I'd say something else?"

Erin pursed her lips together and shrugged. "I… Maybe."

"Why?"

"It's just….not everyone here has the same reaction as you."

Kim gave Erin an understanding look, quickly realizing the situation. "Yeah, I guess not everyone is happy for you guys huh? Sorry."

"It's fine," Erin shrugged again, hoping that she didn't seem bothered by it as much as she really was. But the sympathetic look that Kim tossed her way made it clear that her friend saw right through her. "I don't even know why I care so much about what people are saying. I shouldn't care about them but I just can't help it."

Kim patted her shoulder in comfort. "It's only normal. No one likes to be gossiped about."

"Yeah, I've had enough of people gossiping about me to last me a lifetime."

Kim seemed confused by Erin's admission but kept the smile on her face nonetheless. "It'll be fine, Erin. People will get bored soon enough and move onto something else. At least in the meantime, you have Jay to protect you."

"Yeah."

"I wouldn't want to get on Mr. Halstead's bad side, especially when it comes to you," Kim continued. "I mean, the way he handled Martha and Eva? Amazing!"

Erin narrowed her eyes, her attention caught on what Kim said. "What? What happened to Marth and Eva?"

"The way he fired them? I heard it was brutal," Kim raved, not noticing Erin's reaction to her revelation. "At least that's what I heard downstairs. Man, I wished I could've been there to see the look on their faces when they got fired. They're always talking shit about people and judging people. They totally had it coming. Now people know not to mess with you, unless they don't want to lose their jobs."

Only half of Kim's words made their way into Erin's head, her mind too occupied with the news that Jay had fired Martha and Eva. Even after Erin had asked him to promise not to. Erin sucked in her cheeks, her annoyance building. Her mind flashed back to the earlier interactions today and understood why Layla had been polite to her. Apparently, the other woman was scared to get fired. That was why people were so nice to her.

"I'll talk to you later, Kim," Erin murmured and she quickly exited the break room, leaving behind a confused Kim. Erin made her way into Jay's office and sat down at her desk, waiting for Jay to return.

Jay arrived a couple of minutes later, a smile on his face not knowing what was to come. He strode over to Erin and leaned down for a kiss but Erin turned her face, his lips landing on her cheeks instead. He paused and studied her expression.

"You know," he realized, seeing the tight frown on Erin's face. "Erin."

"I asked you, Jay," Erin began, her irritation toward the situation starting to bubble over. "You promised!"

"I know," Jay replied, dropping his eyes to the floor. "I'm sorry but I just couldn't stand there and do nothing."

"I told you that I got it handled and you promised me that you would just leave things alone. Instead of keeping your promise, you went and fired Marth and Eva! The one thing I didn't want you to do!"

"What the hell was I supposed to do, Erin?" Jay questioned. "Was I just supposed to stand by and just ignore the way they were talking about you? About us? Just leave you to fend for yourself and not defend you?"

"Yes!" Erin shouted, her anger surging. "That's what you were supposed to do! You were supposed to keep your promise. I don't need you to play my hero Jay! I don't need you to step in and fired anyone just because they were talking about me." Erin fumed. Now not only were people talking about Erin getting the job because she was sleeping with Jay, they were probably talking about how she had Jay fired Martha and Eva. That Erin had something to do with them getting fired. No wonder people had been acting so strange around her. They probably thought that if they reacted any other way, Erin would've ran crying to Jay and get them fired from their job. Erin didn't know what was worse— people giving her snide remarks or them thinking that Erin was using her influence on Jay unfairly.

"I was only trying to protect you, Erin," Jay replied, pleading with Erin to see where he was coming from.

"Well, you made things worse," Erin bit out harshly. "Because now people not only think that me fucking you got me this job, they think that I'm making you fired anyone who talks about me."

Jay sighed. "That's...not what I was trying to do."

"Then what were you trying to do? Control me?" Erin spat.

"What?" Jay asked. "How am I trying to control you?"

"Aren't you?" Erin tossed the question back in Jay's face. "I asked you to do one thing. For me to deal with this on my own. Instead you decided to step in when I asked you not to. I don't need you to fight my battles for me, Jay. I don't need you to step in and do whatever you want about my problems. It's my life, it's my problems. Not yours! I don't need you to play a big hero." Erin felt hot angry tears starting to spill over and she quickly wiped her eyes. Maybe if she wasn't getting overwhelmed with emotions and memories of her troubled past, she'd had a clearer head and knew that she was being ridiculous with her accusations. But she was being driven by strong emotions right now, unable to control her words from coming out. "I don't need anyone stepping in for me. I've dealt with things by myself my whole life and the last thing I need is someone else who thinks they know better for me, controlling me and keeping me dependent on them!"

"Erin," Jay whispered softly. Erin tried to ignore the hurt she heard in his voice from her hurling hurtful accusations at him. She knew he also sounded confused, unable to understand why Erin was getting so worked up or why she was saying these things to him. But Erin couldn't find it in herself to explain her position, too clouded by her anger and her own frustrations. "I'm sorry."

He tried to hold her arms but she quickly shuffled them out of his grasp, leaving Jay hanging. She couldn't think clearly right now. All she knew was that she needed to get out of there.

"Erin." He tried reaching for her again. "I'm sorry that I broke my promise but I just couldn't stand to listen to anyone talking badly about you. Especially not when I could do something about it."

"I need to get out of here," Erin muttered, quickly throwing her things into her purse. Jay tried to stop her but she dodged his hands. She ignored his pleas, sidestepping him. He called her name, begging her to stop and just talk this out. "I need to go, Jay! Just….I can't be here right now."

With that, she quickly strode out of the office, leaving a devastated Jay behind.

* * *

Erin collapsed on her couch, her face buried in the cushion. She wanted to hide out from the world and stay in the position for as long as she can. The confrontation with Jay replayed again and again in her head, unable to stop the words she hurled at him from ringing in her brain. She groaned and buried her head under her throw pillow deeper.

She understood that she wasn't being fair to Jay right now and that she should've given him a chance to explain himself. But the only thing that was forefront in her mind was that Jay promised and he broke his promise. She deliberately asked him not to do anything about Martha and Eva and just let things be but he went ahead and fired them anyway.

Erin was just so frustrated. Both with Jay and herself. Mostly at herself.

Because she should've been over this by now. She shouldn't have been feeling like she did when she was 15 years old again but she just couldn't help it. She just couldn't stop her mind from flashing back to being that helpless teenager again. Under Charlie's control.

Charlie.

That was a name she hadn't thought of in so long but what happened today had her mind reeling back to what was arguably one of the worst times in her life. Being under Charlie's control and at his mercy. A grown man taking advantage of an underaged girl and him deciding he knew what was best for her, making decisions for her, controlling her with dope, food and heat.

Erin shook her head, telling herself that Jay was nothing like Charlie. That this was nothing like what happened to her all those years ago. But it was easier said than done. She sat up on the couch and wiped her angry tears away.

Erin was fourteen when she first met Charlie, a charming older guy, on the streets. He was so nice to her, at first. He promised her that he would take care of her, that someone like her didn't belong on the streets. Erin had believed him, naive and young. She followed him to his place because she figured anywhere was better than the tiny, desolated and freezing apartment she called 'home'. Charlie seemed like a godsend at first. He fed her, kept her warm, and promised her safety. It didn't seem strange to Erin that the only form of payment Charlie expected in return was of sexual nature. She figured it was better to give her body to a man she knew in exchange for food and shelter than just random strangers on the streets.

It was all fine in the beginning then things changed, fast. Charlie didn't want Erin going to school any longer, wanted her to cut off contacts with her old friends, introduced her to his own friends— strangers that leered at her— and pretty much, isolated her. He withheld food from her when she refused, threatened to cut off the heat if she stepped out of line and when those threats were no longer effective, he introduced her to heroin. Getting her hooked on dope was his ultimate way of controlling her, keeping her at his mercy in exchange for a hit.

Erin was fifteen and she was an addict, completely under Charlie's control. A man who seemed like the answer to all of her troubles at first quickly turned into her worst nightmare. Soon enough, Erin was strung out most of the day, dropped out of school, and when the money began to dry out for Charlie, he had her working the streets. Erin didn't think she'd live to see twenty.

It wasn't until someone— a real hero to her— stepped in and intervened that she finally turned her life around. He had gotten her into rehab, kicked Charlie out of her life and out of Chicago, and gotten her into St. Ignatius' that Erin had gotten back on the right path. Of course, people always talked. Rumors and jabbers swirled that he only helped her so she could repay him with sex. That Erin really just traded one sugar daddy for another.

That was why finding out what Jay had done had angered Erin so much. Jay going behind her back against her wishes like he knew what was best for her took her back to feeling like she was back under someone else's control. And her co-workers thinking that Erin was using her relationship with Jay to get people fired reminded her once again of what it felt like to have people talk about her being inappropriate with the man who saved her to get what she wanted.

* * *

Erin had no idea how long she laid there, just quietly sobbing. She cried her eyes out, getting all of her frustrations and anger out and now all she was left with was a more clear mind and a somber feeling in her heart. At least, the rain outside was accompanying her with its own soundtrack.

Once again, she realized how unfair she was towards Jay. Because no matter what, Jay wasn't Charlie. Jay could never be Charlie. Erin had been so incensed and blinded by anger that she accused Jay of trying to control her when she knew better.

Because she knew that Jay was only trying to protect her. He was standing up for her, not deciding he knew what was better for her. How much did Erin want someone to stand up for her in High School? When her secret about who she really was had gotten out and her so-called friends had turned their backs on her, Erin just wanted one person to stand by her side. Landon hadn't done so, neither did her other friends. They had tossed her like yesterday's trash, like she wasn't worth the effort to defend.

And here Jay was. Risking his reputation and the possibility of litigation to defend her. Because he couldn't stand anyone talking badly about her. And what did Erin do? She threw his effort in his face and hurled angry and hurtful words at him. Compared him to someone that didn't even reach Jay's feet when it came to decency and caring about her. She had let her desperate need to be independent and fight her own battle blind her to the fact that with Jay, she was never truly alone. He would always be there to fight alongside her, ready to protect her and stand up for her. That he wasn't trying to take away her independence, instead he was backing her up.

Erin felt foolish and she was pissed at herself for possibly ruining the best thing that had ever happened to her. She really needed to let her past stay where it belonged— in the past. She felt guilty about the way she treated Jay and knew she needed to apologize to him right away. She wiped the last remnants of her tears and got up off the couch, running to the door and haphazardly throwing on her shoes. She needed to find Jay and make things right with him right away. She needed to make him believe that she understood where he was coming from and hope that he would accept her apology.

She swung her door open and there he was, on the other side. His hand hung awkwardly in the air, in the midst of knocking. He was soaked from head to toe, obviously having been caught in the rain on his way to her place. Before he knew it, Erin was in his space and she just held him as tightly as she could. Jay seemed surprised by her reaction but he quickly wrapped his arms around her, holding her just as tightly as she was holding him. Erin buried her face in the crook of his neck, letting his usual Sandalwood scent sooth her like only Jay could do.

They stood there in the embrace, the only sound between them was the soft cries coming from Erin mixed with the quiet rainfall coming through Erin's window. He clutched her, his arms providing her with warmth and enclosing her with safety.

"You're getting wet," Jay said, breaking the silence and trying to pull away so Erin wouldn't get wetter from his soaked clothes. But Erin didn't care about that and she hung onto him even more, not letting him move even an inch.

"I don't care," Erin mumbled into his skin, lacing her fingers together behind his back. "I want to stay like this."

He indulged her like always and held her, his hand rubbing a soothing pattern on her back. She closed her eyes, letting Jay draw his apology on her back while she kissed her own 'sorry's and I love you's' on his wet skin, kissing away the raindrops on his face.

"I'm so sorry," Erin said, giving him an actual verbal apology after a while. She pulled her head back so she could look him in the eyes as she said it. "I'm so sorry!"

"No," Jay interjected, shaking his head. "_I'm _sorry. I'm the one who broke my promise and went behind your back."

"You were only trying to protect me."

"Yeah." Jay nodded. "But that's not an excuse. I should've kept my promise and let you do things your ways before deciding I needed to play the big hero and come to your rescue." He wiped away the traitorous tears that began to re-emerge from Erin's eyes. "The thing is Erin, I don't want to control you or want you to think that I know better for you."

"I don't," Erin explained. "At least not anymore."

He gave her a small smile and held her face, cupping it in his hands so gently like she was a treasure, fragile and delicate. To be handled with care.

"It's just...I was never able to stand up for myself when I was younger. Even when I was being bullied and picked on every day. That feeling of being helpless and unable to do anything about it, I hate it and I promised myself that I'd never feel that way again. When I heard those two talk about you and hearing all the whispers about you behind my back, it just….it took me back to that time." Erin listened intently as Jay explained his feelings to her. She understood him completely. They were both holding onto traumas from the past and letting it dictate their lives.

"I get it, Jay."

"I never want you to feel that way, Erin," Jay continued. "Not if I can help it. You had no one to defend you when we were in High School but you have me now. I just want to protect you. But I'm sorry. I overstepped."

"No," Erin shook her head, knowing Jay shouldn't be the one apologizing. "Nothing to apologize for. If anything, I should be the one apologizing to you. For saying those things to you. I know you're not trying to control me. I shouldn't have said those things to you. I was….I had my own demons to deal with and it just sort of came out," Erin explained, keeping things vague.

"It's okay."

"How can I make it up to you Jay?" Erin asked, wanting to make amends for the way she blew up at him. It wasn't Jay's fault that she had her own shit from the past clouding her judgments. Jay didn't know about Charlie and the dirty secrets of her teenage past.

Jay brushed her hair off her forehead and tucked it behind her ear. "Just stay with me. That's all I want."

Erin smiled and nodded, Jay dropping his head to kiss her. She let the kiss soothe her, let Jay's lips keep her troubled past at bay. She wrapped her arms around him and held him tighter.

She could only hope that after she told him everything about her past, he'd remain by her side. She knew Jay deserved to know everything. About Charlie. About her life and how she lived before she got accepted into St. Ignatius'. It wouldn't be pretty and certainly wouldn't be easy to tell him. Despite her being scared of the possibility that Jay may never look at her the same way again after knowing everything, she knew it was a leap of faith she needed to take. She trusted Jay and she needed to believe that Jay would still be her Jay.

And if Jay was still in her life after she told him everything, then Erin would never let him go.

* * *

_AN: I'm actually apprehensive about this chapter to be honest and if why Erin was angry with Jay about firing Martha and Eva would come across clearly. Jay breaking his promise to her was secondary to Jay going behind her back and doing what he thought was better for Erin which was getting those two women fired. Erin had some terrible experiences with Charlie, of him controlling her, deciding everything for her, keeping her under his thumb that Erin is still dealing with her feelings about that. So when Jay went ahead and fired those two, Erin thought it was Jay thinking he knew what she needed instead of letting her deal with it on her own. It also clashed with her need for independence, of Erin dealing with things by herself. Anyway, I'm rambling. _

_On another note, my workload is returning to normal after the few hectic weeks of getting re-adjusted so I plan on getting regular updates up like before, soon enough. My current plan is to finish the final chapter for Chasing Atwater first. Then unless something changes to my outline for Who We Ought To Be, we only have one more chapter for that too. So those two will probably get wrapped up first before I continue with my other stories. I always love writing 23 Encounters so don't be surprised if an update for that slips in between. _

_But either way, I do intend to finish all my stories. Once again, thanks to everyone that reached out and wished me well. I'm doing well and hope you guys are too. If you prefer one story to be updated over another, let me know your thoughts and I will see you guys soon!_


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